TNT ADVENTURES

Motamachi Shokudo (Vancouver, Canada)

2011-12-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

740 Denman Street

Vancouver, BC

Southern Californians and cold weather don't mix. It's like oil and water. To warm ourselves up, we decided to get some ramen. Vancouver has a very large population of Asians and as a result, Vancouver has tons of Asian restaurants to choose from. We heard good things about Motamachi Shokudo so we decided this was the place to warm our bodies with some ramen.

Motamachi Shokudo is a small and narrow restaurant, but it has a nice design aesthetic to the restaurant. Wood and finished concrete cover most the walls and floors.

Nama-Shoyu Ramen (8.95)
We decided that we wanted to try out 2 different flavors of ramen. The shoyu ramen had a very clean tasting broth that was perked up by the veggies and the addition of an egg. The egg has a orange color yolk as opposed to the yellow ones that we are used to. This was a soft boiled organic and local egg from what we have been told.

New Generation Miso Ramen (9.45)
I am not exactly sure what makes this a new generation, but it was delicious. The broth was much more rich and fatty than the shoyu. I loved the addition of the corn to the ramen for an added sweetness and texture.

I am not ramen expert, but overall we really enjoyed both our ramens at Motamachi Shokudo and would not hesitate to return on our future trips to Vancouver. Especially on a cold day!!

The Walrus and Carpenter (Seattle, Washington)

2011-11-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

4743 Ballard Avenue NW

Seattle, WA 98107

206.395.9227

www.thewalrusbar.com

"Best New Restaurants In America," "10 Best New Restaurants in America, " etc, etc, so on, and so on. These are just some of the kind words that have been written about the The Walrus and the Carpenter this past year.

Seems like nowadays the recipe for a successful restaurant is to be seasonal, market driven, have a strange location, little to no signage on the restaurant, strange name, and of course good food. The Walrus and the Carpenter has all the criteria above and more.

Back of the restaurant, or was it the front???? Not really sure.

Roasted Almonds – espelette pepper, sea salt (3)

A nice little snack to kick start our appetites. Didn't really need a kick start - we were already starving. The sea salt and espelette pepper added a salty and peppery flavor.

Marinated Olives (3)
Another little snack to nibble on while we waited for our real food to come out. The olives were nicely brined in a mixture of spices.

Chicken Liver Mousse with candied squash and dried cherries (10)

Pretty much anytime I see chicken liver mousse on a menu, there is a really good chance I am going to order it. The mousse was smooth as butter and delicious. I really enjoyed eating the mousse with the candied squash and the dried cherries.

Treviso Salad – apple, hazelnut, creamy dressing (8)
Treviso is an italian vegetable that is also known as "winter flower"; it is a red radicchio. The salad was slightly bitter due to the treviso but nicely balanced with the creamy dressing and the slices of apple.

Fried Oysters with cilantro aioli (8)
Looking around at other tables, it seemed as though everyone was ordering the fried oysters. The oysters were breaded in what seemed to be a cornmeal crust. The texture and taste was a bit overly complex. I didn't really enjoy this one much.

Smoked Trout – lentils, walnuts, crème fraiche, pickled onions (10)
The various components of this dish really balanced and complemented each other.

Kale Gratin – gruyere, hazelnuts, tarragon (10)

This was my first encounter with a kale gratin. The flavor of the hazelnuts were really predominate in this dish.
Didn't love this dish nor did I dislike it.

Pumpkin Pudding Cake with espresso butter sauce and whipped cream (8)
This was a nice dessert to end our meal. Since it was freezing outside, the warm pumpkin pudding cake with its spices was a fitting dessert.

I am not sure if The Walrus and the Carpenter really deserves all the high praise and attention that it has gotten. Overall, we did enjoy the food that we had, most notably the chicken liver mousse and the smoked trout dish. The restaurant space was beautiful and the ambiance were just right, but the food was not quite what we expected.

Japadog (Vancouver, Canada)

2011-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

899 Burrard St

Vancouver, BC
http://www.japadog.com/en/

At first I was a little skeptical thinking, what's so special about these Japanese hot dogs? They can't be all that different from any other hot dog that we have had. Overhyped?? Wrong....

This little Japadog happened to be right on the corner of the hotel we were staying at, so it made it all the more convenient to sample these dogs. Fortunately for us, it was raining that day and as a result, this shortened the supposedly long lines considerably.

The most popular of the dogs at Japadog would be the Kurobuta Terimayo. Kurobuta or Berkshire as Americans know it is the prized black pig. Similar to that Kobe Beef, Kurobuta is the best of the pig breeds. At $7.25, this better be a dang good dog. That is $7.25 with no drinks or chips, just the dog.

The Kurobuta Terimayo comes with Kurobuta hot dog, nori (seaweed) strips, and a teriyaki mayonnaise. We added a bit of the Wasabi mayo for a nicely added heat to the dog. The actual hot dog itself was juicy, flavorful and had a nice snap to it. I would say it's probably the best hot dog that I have eaten. The terimayo and wasabi mayo complement the hotdog and the nori strips add an extra dimension of flavor. This hot dog was delicious!!!

There was quite a bit of hype about the Japadog. Some saying it's just a hot dog and not worth the trip and some saying that it is all that and then some. I have to say that the hype is warranted. Although the hot dog is pricey for a hot dog, I would say it is definitely worth the trip to try it out.

Serious Pie (Seattle, Washington)

2011-09-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

316 Virginia St.

Seattle, WA 98121

206.838.7388

Tomdouglas.com

We couldn't leave Seattle and not try one of Tom Douglas's many well regarded restaurants. When mentioning the best pizza throughout the United States and best pizza in each state, Serious Pie is often mentioned amongst the contenders. With a name like Serious Pie, they better be serious about their pie.

The inside of Serious Pie is separated into a lower dining area and an upper cooking area. The restaurant is actually a bit smaller than I thought it would be.

Yellowfoot chanterelles, truffle cheese (16)
Serious Pie's pies are more of a rectangular oval than a traditional pie shape. Being a lover of the distinct taste and smell of truffles, we ordered the yellowfoot chanterelles and truffle cheese pizza. The yellowfoot chanterelles gave the pizza an extra boost of earthy/umami flavor. It was kind of strange to see a pizza with slices of cheese as opposed to grated cheese on it. The crust on Serious Pie's pizzas are actually seriously good with a crunchy crust and great taste.

Close up shot of the pizza.

Sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, provolone (17)
I wanted to order a pizza that was more on the meatier side and the sweet fennel sausage pizza fit the bill. The sweet fennel sausage was delicious with an apparent but not an overwhelming taste of fennel. The roasted peppers added great flavor to the pizza.

Close up of the sweet fennel sausage pizza.

The ladies both enjoyed the truffle pizza while I preferred the sweet fennel sausage pizza. Man = meat = good. They were both delicious in my opinion...just preferred the sausage one more.

Chocolate budino, sea salt, cinnamon-walnut cookie (8)
For dessert, we had to try out the budino (which is Italian for pudding). I loved the sweet and salty combination of the dessert. I really appreciated the addition of the extra virgin olive oil on top that added the delicious taste and aroma of the high quality olive oil.

The cookies weren't half bad either but I was fine with just the budino itself. You aren't going to hear any complaints over here about some chocolate cookies though.

Serious pie is pretty serious about their pies and their food. I am serious when I say that the food was seriously delicious and I am can seriously recommend Serious Pie to anyone.

Elliot's Oyster House (Seattle, Washington)

2011-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pier 56

1201 Alaskan Way

Seattle, WA 981011

206.623.4340

www.elliottsoysterhouse.com

Apologies for the lack of posting these last few months. We just purchased our first home and it was quite a fixer upper. Most of our free time went into fixing this fixer upper up. Almost there. Still some more things to be done but it's getting there.

Thank you Lady G for reminding us that there are a few people that actually read our blog. We will try to update more regularly.

Any oyster lovers out there? If so, have we got a place for you!! Elliot's Oyster House has a progressive happy hour. What in the world is a progressive Happy Hour you ask? The prices get progressively more expensive as time goes on. Starting at 3:00, oysters are .50 cents and go up .25 cents each half hour. Guess what time we got there?? 3:00!! .50 cent oysters for us!

Every day they have a different oyster for happy hour. On the day we came, the oyster was the Hama Hamas. Pictured is the assortment of oysters that Elliot's has on any particular day.

Salt and vinegar housemade potato chips (2)
The chips were not bad. It was nice to have something to snack on in between oysters. Wish they were a bit more vinegar flavored.

Elliot's happy hour menu. Not only are oysters on the happy hour menu but there are some other selections as well. Can't comment on any other items on the menu. We were here for the oysters!

hama hama oysters (.50 per oyster)
The oysters were as expected - fresh, slightly briny, firm flesh, and delicious!

Elliot's Oyster House for happy hour is a must for any oyster lover looking for a steal of a deal. These oysters were cheaper than when we went to the oyster farm north of San Francisco. At .50 cents an oyster, you cannot pass this place up.

Pike Place Chowder (Seattle, Washington)

2011-06-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

1530 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101
206.267.2537
www.pikeplacechowder.com

Seattle is best known for the Space Needle, the Public Market, original Starbucks, Nirvana, and rainy-cold weather. Southern Californians are definitely not used to the cold weather of Northern neighbors. One of our first stops was the Public Market, and as we were walking around freezing our you know whats off, we figured what better way to warm us up then some chowder.

With a selection of about 5 to 6 chowders to choose from, we sampled a few of them and although all tasty, we settled on a cup of the New England Clam Chowder. Continuing on with the trend of award winning foods, Pike Place Chowder proudly displays its numerous awards over the years for the satisfying soups and chow worthy chowders.

The chowder had an ideal texture that wasn't runny nor was it super thick either. The chowder had the taste of clam that wasn't overwhelming and nuances of bacon flavor along with other secret spices. I like the proportion of clams to other ingredients making each spoonful a body warming and delicious treat!

Beecher's Handmade Cheese (Seattle, Washington)

2011-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

1600 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101
206.956.1964
http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/

As a tourist visiting Seattle, one of the main attractions of the Seattle area is Pike Place. Within Pike Place is the original Starbucks, Pike Place Fish Market, and a multitude of other places to browse and to eat. Beecher's Handmade Cheese is one of the places that lures in tourists like Medusa. Can't... stop.... staring..... at the beautiful cheeses....

Not only does Beecher's sell artisanal handmade cheeses but they also sell grilled sandwiches and what I usually come here is for their "World's Best" Mac and Cheese. World's Best?? Quite a claim, don't you think? I'll be the judge of that.

Mac and Cheese – creamy blend of Flagship, Just Jack, penne pasta and spices (5)
The pasta's texture isn't too mushy like you would think it would. Instead of the traditional elbow noodles, Beecher's likes to use penne pasta. I think this is a good move on their part. Larger pieces that are easier to eat and are able to be stuffed with cheese. The blend of cheeses works really well too that has a excellent cheesy taste and texture. This definitely is not that powdered mac and cheese we all grew up eating.

World's Best? Still not sure about that claim. Haven't tried all the mac and cheeses in the world, but I might give it the "One of the best mac and cheeses that I have ever tasted in the Seattle, maybe even possibly in the West Coast" title. Quite a mouthful for an award, but this is my blog and I can give any award I want.

Brix - Napa Valley

2011-05-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

7377 Saint Helena Hwy
Napa, CA 94558
707.944.2749
www.brix.com

Brix bills itself as a farm-to-table restaurant.The restaurant and garden has more than 2 acres of farm land in which many of the dishes vegetables coming directly from the garden. Does it get much fresher? The menu actually indicates what vegetables come directly from the garden. How cool is that?

The architecture of the restaurant fits in perfectly with the Napa Valley region. Flowers and plants surround the perimeter of the restaurant...this entices guests to wander around the beautiful grounds.

A view of some of the raised garden beds where various vegetables are grown. This is a view of the backside of the property facing the outdoor patio. The vegetables that you are about to eat are only about 50 feet away from where you dine.

This is another view of the outside seating area where our table was facing the gardens and the hills. Doesn't get much more serene and beautiful than this.

Fresh bread with butter and sea salt. The bread was nicely toasted and warmed and delicious when eaten with the butter. Not sure if it was house made or not but it was good.

Brix Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad (11)
This was a dish that was beautiful to look at as it was to eat. I loved the flavor of the tomatoes and the crunchiness of the cucumber, adding a freshness to the salad. What really made the salad for me was the vinaigrette. I wanted to pick up the bowl and drink every last drop of it.

Grilled Lebanese Zucchini with cherry tomatoes and basil vinaigrette (6)
This was another vegetable dish that was a winner! The grilling on the zucchini added a nice bit of char and flavor to the zucchini. The tomatoes and the vinaigrette were once again outstanding. Freshness at its peak!

Sonoma Duck Breast with Creamy Mushroom Farro (26)
This was a nice piece of duck breast that was cooked well and portioned just right. The creamy mushroom farro was a change from the normal farro which I find boring at times.

Beef Tenderloin with olive oil poached zucchini and tomato vinaigrette (29)
The beef tenderloin was as you would expect, tender. The steak had a char and smokey flavor from the grill. My only complaint was that the steak was slightly overcooked in my opinion. Not a particularly exciting dish but solid.

Creme Brulee
The creme brulee was an excellent example of how it should be. Beautifully bruleed sugar top that shatters and begs to be eaten. Brix also included some kind of brittle.

Another serene view of the mountains, gardens, and vineyards of Brix. A great way to end the evening: just taking our time with dinner and relaxing as the sun drifted behind the mountains and enjoying what Napa has to offer.

Farm to table. Wouldn't it be awesome if all restaurants could operate with this belief? We enjoyed our meal at Brix, especially the vegetable dishes. It didn't hurt either that we had this beautiful view to look at.

Crossroad Chicken (Napa Valley)

2011-05-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Napa, CA 94558
(707) 280-3868
crossroadchix.com

As we were driving on the highway to the Napa wineries, we spotted the words "Wood Fired" on a food truck and had to make a u-turn to see what this was all about. I admit, I thought the food truck was serving wood fired pizzas and was at first disappointed when I saw that it wasn't pizza. However, after chatting with the chef a bit and him giving us a tour of the truck we found out that he uses ingredients from sustainably farmed and local products whenever possible.

Having previously worked as a chef at Acacia Winery for many years, he started this food truck business about a year now. There is actually a real wood fired oven, and he has the proper insignia on his truck so you know he's legit.

An appetizing and concise menu with an assortment of sandwiches, tacos, soups, and salads at reasonable prices.

Here is a picture of the jester/chef himself Chef Kevin Simonson.

Rancho Gordo Anasazi Bean Chili w/ chopped red onions and sour cream ($4.95). The Anasazi beans are some kind of heirloom beans. Wow, heirloom beans too? The chili was different than what I'm used to, but good in a way. The beans themselves were actually smoother and less gritty than most beans I have had. I appreciate the nice bite from the onions and how the sour cream smoothed things out.

Hot Chicken Sandwich w/ Meyer Lemon Aioli, Tomatoes, Red Onions, and Greens ($8.95). Definitely your gourmet sandwich. The bread was nice and toasty and the chicken was quite tasty with the aioli and the beautiful heirloom tomatoes. The heirloom tomatoes were amazing too. Every bite made me wanting more.

Here is a picture of the wood fired oven inside the truck.

This gourmet food truck definitely is worth the stop for all the tasty food items, quality ingredients, and use of local products. If you are are ever at the crossroads and see Crossroad Chicken, you should definitely cross the road.

Commonwealth (San Francisco)

2011-04-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

2224 Mission Street (Mission District)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel. 415.355.1500
commonwealthsf.com
Chef Jason Fox

"A progressive American restaurant in San Francisco's Mission district." This is how Commonwealth describes themselves on their website. Jason Fox, who used to be the Chef at Bar Tartine, is now the Executive Chef of Commonwealth. Having eaten at Bar Tartine the year before and enjoying a good meal, we had heard great things about Commonwealth. Commonwealth strives to be a restaurant that has finer dining at reasonable prices, which is something that we love.

seaweed flecked house made potato chips (complimentary)
The chips texturally were similar to Lay's but had a flavor that would most likely to be found in Japan Lay's and not in America. The seaweed flavor wasn't an "in your face" seaweed flavor, but more of a light dusting of seaweed.

malt vinegar foam
The chips were meant to be eaten with the malt vinegar foam, which added a nice acidity. This tasted like a salt and vinegar chip...correction..a seaweed and vinegar chip.

shishito peppers, goat cheese and rose petals (6)
The peppers were nicely blistered. The addition of the goat cheese went really well with the peppers to help lessen the heat from these peppers. Luckily, we didn't have any that were over the top spicy. The rose petals visually were a beautiful addition to the dish and lent a slight floral scent to the dish.

garden tomatoes and basil, black olive crumble, smoked bread, idiazabal cheese (13)
This is what I consider a fancy version of a caprese salad. The dish was beautifully plated on a piece of slate. Every component of this dish worked well together.

summer squash, chilled soup, fried blossoms, shaved salad, vadouvan (9)
One of my favorite courses of the night. This was a chilled soup, which is something that I don't always have the opportunity to try out, with the exception of a gazpacho. The shaved salad was placed in the chilled soup which texturally added to the already delicious vadouvan flavored soup (vadouvan is like french curry spice). The addition of the fried squash blossoms, although unnecessary, were delicious as well.

potato gnocchi, corn, maitake mushrooms, sage, parmesan reggiano, truffle oil (12)
Another favorite of the night, was this gnocchi dish. The gnocchi were perfectly prepared to a pillowy consistency. This was a very well composed dish with the corn adding a sweetness and slight crunchiness, the mushrooms and truffle oil adding an earthiness and the parmesan adding a salty cheesy flavor. Delicious!!!

marrow stuffed squid, tamarind pork, shelling beans, black garlic, cilantro (13)
Compliments from the chef for our anniversary! What a nice touch by the staff at Commonwealth. The squid was nicely cooked. The marrow and pork added a meatiness to the dish. Didn't really care too much for the beans. This was Commonwealth's version of surf and turf.

corn custard, sea urchin, chorizo, lobster emulsion, jalapeno (15)
This was one of the dishes I was most looking forward to as I perused the menu. What's not to love about sea urchin, chorizo, lobster, and corn custard? The corn custard itself was very light, almost like a panna cotta with the essence of corn. I couldn't really detect too much flavor of lobster though. The jalapeno flavor kind of hits you on the palette and creeps up on you. The sea urchin and the corn custard had a nice creaminess that went really well together.

grilled lamb tongue, chard, burnt eggplant, miso and mint (12)
This is the only dish of the night that I did not enjoy. Reading the description, I thought that the miso flavor and mint would work wonderfully together.The dish in my opinion was over salted and lacked the complexity that I was expecting. I really couldn't taste the miso.

frozen matcha meringue, pistachio, summer berries, strawberry consomme (8)
I believe this dish involved the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze the matcha meringue. I enjoyed the taste of the matcha with the berries and the consomme.

Commonwealth in my opinion has met its goal of serving upscale food at reasonable prices for a larger segment to enjoy. The dishes at Commonwealth are beautifully composed and for the most part were all very good. If you are looking for a reasonably price restaurant that is serving innovative dishes, I would definitely give Commonwealth a try.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company - Marshall

2011-04-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

15479 Highway 1
Marshall, CA 94940
415.663.1242
www.tomalesbayoysters.com

This is definitely one of the best oyster experiences I had! There is nothing better than sitting outdoors, soaking in the sunshine, breathing the fresh air, and shucking your own tasty oysters fresh from the farm. And not to mention, eating as much as you want without burning a hole in your wallet.

We arrived at the farm around 10:00am and were the first few to have claimed our spot next to the water. More people started coming in around 11-12pm, bringing out their big coolers, E-Z Up canopies, red and white checkered tablecloths, boombox, and large amounts of food. I looked around and thought... "they know how to work it."

I first ordered a dozen for a mere $10!! Great deal and it's fresh. You have a choice of x-small, small, medium, or large. X-Small ones were perfect. The Tomales Bay worker said that he doesn't know why people get the mediums, or especially the large ones.

After popping 12 oysters in my mouth, I was content, but was needing more. So.. another dozen!

Being first-timers, we only brought small packets of tabasco that we managed to find and keep from our drive up to San Francisco, a lemon, and a towel. We didn't even have a shucker. The night before, we stopped at several places to buy one and even a General Store at a nearby small town, but no luck for us. Luckily though, the man selling the oysters at this farm let us borrow his (what a nice guy). Whew!

We found a great tutorial on shucking oysters from youtube.com, and the farm also had some reading material as well. The important thing is not to injure yourself, while being careful not to let any shell remnants get inside and contain the oyster liquor inside the shell.

The damage I did.... 24 oysters later. All by myself....

What a peaceful view of the waters while enjoying the fresh oysters.

This unique experience was worth the 45 minute drive from San Francisco. The beauty and serenity of the place (before the crowds come) and the delicious, sweet oysters made it heavenly for me. Next time, I will definitely be better equipped with the right tools and ingredients. Not to mention, a bottle of wine.

Bar Crudo - San Francisco

2011-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

655 Divisadero St (between Hayes and Grove)
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.409.0679
www.barcrudo.com

We decided to head up to San Francisco for our anniversary weekend. San Francisco is one of our favorite cities to visit because of the delicious food, the beautiful scenery, and the chill, cool, and unpretentious people. Our first stop was Bar Crudo, a place known for fresh and delicious seafood.

We came for their happy hour: $3 beers on a certain beers, $10 for 2 fish tacos, $5 for seafood chowder and $1 oysters from Point Reyes. We came there at 5:30pm and there were no seats at the bar but small wooden panels from the wall that you can stand and enjoy your beers and food. Luckily for us, they decided to offer the upstairs area as part of the happy hour area. Made for much more of an enjoyable and relaxing experience for us.

Crudo Sampler: (12)

Artic Char (horseradish cream, wasabi tobiko, dill) This was my favorite! It was buttery like salmon.

Hokkaido Scallops (sweet corn puree, piri piri peppers, spanish smoked salt) The scallops had a soft texture, but the sweet corn threw me off a bit.

Tombo Tuna (avocado mousse, chili lime vinaigrette, peaches) This had some good flavors, but nothing memorable.

Butterfish (salmorejo, quail egg, jamon)

Seafood Chowder (5)
A hearty and comforting chowder with generous amounts of seafood. Good-sized chunks of fish, calamari, mussels, shrimp and potatoes. Also had chunks of chorizo and applewood smoked bacon. Definitely a must order!

Point Reyes Oysters, Marin ($1 each)
One of my favorite reasons to come to San Francisco is to eat and slurp on super fresh and tasty oysters. These oysters did not disappoint. They were cold and fresh, and the accompanying mignonette was perfect with the oysters.

Service was great throughout our little dinner/snack. While chatting with the waitress, we mentioned we were up in SF for our anniversary and they were kind enough to bring us chocolates with a candle. We heart SF!!!!

If you are ever in SF and looking for a place that serves fantastically fresh seafood in a laid back and unpretentious setting, Bar Crudo is a great place to be.

Le Crêperie Bretonne - Paris, France

2011-04-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

56 Rue Montparnasse, 75014 Paris
Tel. 01 43 20 89 58

If you're ever in Paris and craving crepes, Rue Montparnasse must have the highest concentration of creperies on one small street that I have ever seen. They should just change the name to Rue Crêperie. Since we weren't staying too far from this area and wanted some proper crêpes and not the pre-made ones we decided to give Le Crêperie Bretonne a try.

As you walk along the street you can take a peek and see the master crêpe makers at work. Not sure if the French sailor shirt is a uniform there or not but adds to the authenticity of the place, at least from a wardrobe standpoint.

No fat free margarine substitutes are used here. This is the real deal right here and they don't skimp on it either.

Tight seating is the norm in Paris. During lunch, we saw many business people ordering their savory crêpes and sweet ones for dessert.

Crêpes are made with blé noir, buckwheat flour, although buckwheat crêpes are generally called galettes rather than crêpes. We decided to order the galettes for a lunchtime snack.

Check out the nice little pad of melted butter that is added.

Peeling back the layers of the gallete revealed slices of tomatoes and jambon with goat cheese. I am no galette or crêpe expert but these were nicely crisped throughout, especially on the sides.

The second galette that we ordered was the either a merguez or a chorizo filled galette with cheese. I preferred this more savory and amped up flavor galette to the fresher and slightly healthier previous one.

If you are in the Montparnasse and craving a crêpe, Rue Montparnasse is definitely the place to be. Now to decided which one you are going to eat at is up to you. Bon Apetit!

Maison Kayser - Paris, France

2011-03-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

8 Rue Monge
75005 Paris, France
01 44 07 01 42
www.maison-kayser.com

After riding the Parisian streets on the Velib bikes, we stopped by Eric Kayser's boulangerie to pick up some pastries. It is quite different from the small mom-and-pop boulangeries with its polished counters and modern decor. But nevertheless, they had a wonderful display of fresh baguettes and pastries, and their notoriety for great pastries and breads drew us in.

We ordered the pain au chocolat, multigrain bread and broiche au sucre. The multigrain bread may sound too healthy but it was actually very good. Had the right crisp and enough savory flavor to it.

We asked what was their most popular item, and the girl said these mini financiers, which consisted of pistachio, chocolate and vanilla. They were definitely very good, not too sweet, but buttery and light. Had a nutty taste, a slight crisp on the bottoms, but very moist overall. Plus, they were so easy to pop in my mouth that I lost track of how many I ate.

I wish I were living and working in Paris so that I could just come here in the mornings or during my lunch break. I want to try everything, but don't think I have room in my stomach for them during my one visit. Maybe next time!

La Régalade - Paris, France

2011-03-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

123 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
Tel: 01 42 21 92 40
Open Lunch and Dinner, Monday-Friday

Bi-stron-o-my (noun)
1. the trend of combining basic bistro decor with quality cuisine.
2. a combination of the terms "bistro", which means casual, inexpensive dining, and "gastronomy" which means the art or science of good eating.

Bistronomy has been taking over the dining since the 90s in Europe and the US. Young chefs cook in modest bistros but incorporate their talents in haute cuisine. So we were pretty excited to try La Régalade in Paris, the Saint-Honore location, which is right smack in the middle of Paris. Founded by Yves Camdeborde in 1992 with the original location in the 14th Arrondissement, it was passed on to Bruno Doucet.

At La Régalade, we ordered from the 33€ entree-plat-dessert menu.

We received our complimentary and generous slab of terrine maison / pate (which is about the size of a whole loaf of bread) served with a large jar of cornichons and fresh bread. You can eat all you want, but then they took it away before our entrees came, which I admit, I was disappointed, but I'm glad because I would have been too full to enjoy the rest of my meal.

saumon marine par nos soins, salade de concombre et gingembre confit aux oignons nouveaux
This was a great light dish. I wanted to savor every bite. This dish was perfect in every way. The buttery flavor of the salmon went well with the crunchiness of the cucumbers. All the different textures and flavors went well together.

foie gras de canard roti mais servi froid, vinaigrette d'un jus de viande et salade d'herbes melangees
Whenever I see foie gras on the menu, I can't help but order it. Texturally, the foie gras was smooth but it lacked that livery foie gras flavor that I was looking for. Not a bad dish, but just didn't taste how I wanted or expected it to taste.

filet de dorade grise de Bretagne roti a la plancha, persille de calamars, jus de volaille aux olives noires et fenouil confit
I wasn't too crazy about this dish as I was with the first course of salmon. The fish was mild in flavor and the sauce was nice.

risotto du moment au parmesan, supreme de volaille jaune des Landes roti sur la peau tout doucement
When I ordered this dish, I thought it was going to be risotto with chicken. When the dish arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see that nestled in between the piece of chicken was foie gras. The risotto was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful. The chicken with the foie gras complemented this dish very nicely. Unlike the foie gras appetizer, the foie in this dish tasted much more foie gras like. I really enjoyed every aspect of this dish.

Fraicheur de rhubarbe et crémeux masarpone aux fraises, émietté de sable breton
(rhubarb compote, creamy mascarpone, gariguette strawberries, crumbled Breton shortbread)
This dessert was pretty incredible. Creamy, not too sweet, smooth and light. Tart in all the right places. The strawberry and rhubarb really complemented each other and the mascarpone really went nicely with the tartness of the strawberry and rhubarb.

petits pots de creme a la vanille, framboises, rafraichies au coulis
This was a pot of vanilla cream with strawberry and raspberry coulis. Another simple yet delicious dessert. The tartness of the berries really paired well with the vanilla cream. The addition of what Americans call Pocky and what French call Mikado weren't necessary but enjoyable.

riz cuit au lait et a la vanille comme le falsait ma grand-mere, caramel laitier
Vanilla rice pudding with caramel sauce. I looked up the rough translation of this via Google Translate and I guess the rice pudding is in the style of his grandmother. This dessert came out in a large container that could have fed at least 3 to 4 people. I'm assuming his grandmother liked to feed a lot of people. The rice pudding itself had real vanilla bean flecks. The texture was just right with the rice being not overly mushy but just right. Drizzle on a bit of the caramel sauce and you have a comforting dessert. Not a particularly exciting dessert with intriguing flavor combinations or textures but a very hearty dessert.

Complimentary Madeleines
At the end of the 3 course meal, we were given complimentary madeleines. As if the three courses for 33€ wasn't enough food. The madeleines were buttery and moist. I wished I would have taken these home for later.

At 33€ this in my opinion was the best meal that we had while in Paris. Complimentary almost all you can eat terrine at the beginning of the meal and the madeleines at the end of the meal in addition to the fantastic ingredients and well prepared appetizer, main courses, and desserts made this a wonderful meal. I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant to any other visitors.

Pierre Hermé (Paris, France)

2011-03-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

133 avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
(Inside the Drugstore Publicis)

Ahhh.. back in the City of Love! Once we checked into our hotel and dropped off our luggage, first thing to check on our list was to visit Pierre Hermé on rue Bonaparte in the St. Germain des Prés area since it was close to our hotel. I've been waiting for years to try it and I was filled with gleeful anticipation. But, sadly, this is what we arrived to.

Closed for renovations. Several other people stopped by too and had the same disappointment. We conferred with one another as to where the most convenient Pierre Hermé would be. As for ourselves, we decided to trek to the "public drugstore" on the Champs-Elysées that sells Pierre Hermé macarons. I guess it would be nice to see the Arc de Triomphe as well.

Pierre Hermé had very interesting flavors compared with the traditional flavors at Ladurée. At Pierre Hermé, I had the Chocolat, Caramel au Beurre Sale, Huile d'Olive and Vanille, Citron, Fraise and Wasabi.

Although the macarons at Pierre Hermé hit the mark for the right amount of sweetness and texture and its innovation, my heart still beats for the traditional flavors of macarons at Ladurée. Sometimes, you can't mess with the simple things.

Café Arabe (Marrakech, Morocco)

2011-03-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

184 Rue Mouassine
Marrakech, Morocco
Tel. 024 42 97 28

Looking for a bit of serenity from the hustle and bustle of the medina? Located within the medina is Cafe Arabe - a mix of both Italian and Moroccan cuisine. We didn't get a chance to eat any of the food at Cafe Arabe because we enjoyed the food at the Djemma el Fna so much, but we enjoyed the ambiance at the restaurant.

Walk through the main doors of the restaurant and you are greeted by a hostess, who will then walk you through the 3 levels of this restaurant.

Complimentary olives are given to all who want to sit and relax at this laid back oasis in the middle of the medina.

After having dinner at the Djemma el Fna, we had planned to lounge and relax at Cafe Arabe. After taking a look at the menu we decided to have some Moroccan whiskey (mint tea) and a honeydew smoothie.

Here is the view from the top floor of the Cafe Arabe. The restaurant designer did a fantastic job with the decor and layout of the restaurant. The top floor is a great place to lounge and relax while enjoying a few drinks.

One of the rooms on the second floor of the restaurant. Again, beautifully designed. Can't you just imagine belly dancers roaming the room?

Cafe Arabe is what you imagine much of Morocco to look like. What's ironic is that most of Morocco doesn't look like this but I like to hold onto these lasting impressions. Arriving in Marrakech a few days prior, we were unsure of how the next few days would be. Reflecting back on our trip with the scams and scares that we experienced, it was all worth it in the end.

Food Stalls at the Djemma el Fna (Marrakech)

2011-03-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Location: Djemma el Fna - Center of all the action.

At the Djemma el Fna, you'll get to witness the snake charmers, fortune-tellers, dancing monkeys, women wooing other women into getting henna tattoos, medicine men, games, and even a tooth doctor selling teeth (?) or providing consultation. Besides all the crazy action, eating at the food stalls in the Djemma el Fna is a must to experience fully the Moroccan culture and taste.

But be prepared for those hardsellers who try to compete with one another to get you to eat at their stall: "Finger-licking good!!!" they shout. Like Medusa, these food hawkers will try to lure you in with their eye contact, but the intoxicating aroma of grilled meats and deliciousness is what eventually draws us in. Walk around to all the stalls and figure out what you like. It may be overwhelming at first, but eat where the locals eat and follow their lead.

Glasses of mint leaves and huge sugar cubes waiting for the hot water for tea.

Snails anyone??? We couldn't muster up the courage to try these just yet.

Upon the recommendation of our Riad manager and the apparent long lines at Stall #14, we decided this was the our spot. We all sat very, very close to one another since they try to seat as many people as they can. Eating in the Djemma el Fna food stalls is not a place where the claustrophobic would feel comfortable. We enjoyed #14 so much that we ended up eating here two nights in a row.

Everything is made right before your eyes. They first flour the fish and calamari and then place them in the oil until they come out crispy, deep golden pieces of deliciousness.

Fried whole fish, chunks of fish flesh, calamari rings, and fresh fried french fries are the specialty of Food Stall #14.

Khobz (1DH) and Salsa (4DH)
As with all Moroccan restaurants, the traditional khobz is served with pretty much all meals. #14 also gave us a plate of crushed tomatoes and spices. Very similar to salsa, that is to be eaten with the fish and calamari.

French Fries (4DH)
The french fries or should I say Moroccan fries were delicious. The fries were made with 100% all natural potatoes that were cut, deep fried, and then salted.

Fried Fish (14DH)
At #14, you have the choice of either small whole fried fish or chunks of pure fish. Not wanting to deal with bones and digging through the fish, we went with the fried fish chunks. With a squeeze of lemon and a bit of salsa, these fried pieces of fish were absolutely delicious!! Perfectly cooked to a golden brown, the fish was still moist and not dried out.

Fried Calamari (25DH)
The calamari were equally as delicious as the fish. Like the fish, the calamari was perfectly cooked and texturally, was spot on. None of this rubber band, super chewy calamari at this stand.

Following the tried and true technique of eat where the locals eat,we ended up choosing #31 as our next culinary destination. #31 had smoke and flames that both visually and aromatically lured us in.

Stall #31 specializes in grilled meats. We saw that most people at this food stall were ordering these little merguez style sausages on the link. Guess what we did??

Each order of sausages comes with khobz and the salsa like sauce. The sausages had a nice smokey smell and flavor from the grill and were very well seasoned. Not sure what kind of meat these sausages were, could have been lamb. These little sausages had a nice snap to them because of the natural casings.

Here is a closeup shot of the sausages in all their glory. As you can see from the picture these were definitely not lean or fat free sausages. The locals would use their hands (the right hand, not the left) to use the khobz to sop up the fat and juices from the sausages. Do as the locals do.

#5 known for its Harira soup which is the traditional soup of Morocco. The soup is typically eaten year around but is especially eaten during dinner in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and also served after special occasions. (Thanks Wikipedia).

Harira (3.5DH)
Harira is typically made with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and an assortment of herbs and spices. The Harira is slightly thickened with some type of flour. The soup is slightly hearty due to the beans and the thickness of the soup. The tomatoes and other spices give the soup a nice depth to it. My only complaint was that the soup was slightly underseasoned. Luckily, the soup comes with a little bowl of salt.

One of our favorite experiences and treats was the extremely inexpensive and satisfying orange juice carts. There were tons of carts serving refreshing, freshly squeezed OJ. Drinking the sweet juice was one of the most satisfying experiences because it was so hot in Marrakech. And for only 30 cents, who could beat that. And I must add that the guy serving us was overqualified (looks-wise). Anyway, after you're done drinking the great OJ, you set the glass back and can't help but breathe out a sigh of satisfaction and smile. [Note: Not sure how thoroughly they clean the glasses, but it was worth it].

Eating at the food stalls was one of our favorite experiences on the trip. During the day, the Djemma el Fna is a wide open space, but at night this wide open space becomes the culinary and social epicenter of Marrakech. This is one experience that is not to be missed!

Le Gran Balcon Café Glaciers (Marrakech, Morocco)

2011-02-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

On our last night in the magical Marrakech, we went up to Le Gran Balcon Café Glaciers for a drink and to soak in the views of the bustling medina. This is one of the larger and popular terrace cafes, overlooking all the action in the Djemaa el Fna. It's a great vantage point to view all the snake charmers, watermen, chefs, henna tattoo artists, etc. The large roof terrace is the place to have some drinks, hear the prayer calls, and take amazing photographs.

The drinks are more pricey than the other Marrakech spots, but you're paying for the view and the experience. I recommend coming right before sunset, so you'll see that beautiful orange glow from the sun, and also feel the active heartbeat of the Djemaa el Fna coming to life as the night moves in.

Djemma el Fna beginning to come to life.

In order to enjoy the rooftop terrace and enjoy the beautiful panoramic view, you are required to, at minimum, purchase a drink. I decided to try out this apple soda which was actually quite good, though a bit on the sweet side.

View of the Djemma el Fna with all the food stalls and the heartbeat of the square at rapid thump.

If you are looking for a restaurant or cafe with a great view of the main square, Le Gran Balcon Café Glaciers is the place you are looking for. Go to the cafe to lounge and soak in the atmosphere. As stated, prices are higher than the other cafes and restaurants. But the view is worth the price.

Chez Chegrouni (Marrakech, Morocco)

2011-02-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Location: Northeast corner of the Djemma el Fna.

With our assortment of guidebooks in hand, we flipped through the books to see what wise nuggets of restaurant wisdom these guidebooks would suggest. Chez Chegrouni is often mentioned due to its excellent location. After making our way through the somewhat maze-like souks (shops that line the streets), we worked up our appetites.

Here is the view from the restaurant looking out into just one part of the Djemma el Fna.

Since we were in Morocco, we must do as Moroccans do and drink the Moroccan Whiskey. The tea is made with green tea leaves and mint leaves and stems and A LOT of SUGAR. Moroccans pour the tea by raising the teapot as high as possible, (like a few feet from the cup high) and pouring the tea into the little cups. This technique aerates the tea and in my opinion, looks pretty cool too.

Vegetable Couscous
Hmmmm...what to order??? Dilemmas, dilemmas???? Sarcasm if you didn't catch that. It isn't a tough decision when most restaurants only serve either couscous or tagine. The vegetables where cooked until super soft and the couscous was still fairly fluffy.

Chicken Tagine
Since we ordered the couscous, the only other option was tagine. The chicken tagine was served with onions, lemon, olives, and chicken. Everything in a tagine gets heavily cooked until completely braised. The lemon added a nice bit of flavor to this tagine.

With our bellies full and our bodies rested, we were ready to battle the blazing sun and do some more exploring.

As stated before, we are not that familiar with Moroccan cuisine and I am definitely no authority on it. Overall, we thought the food wasn't bad nor was it delicious. The prices at Chez Chegrouni are very reasonable as are the majority of restaurants in Marrakech. The location and the reasonable prices make this restaurant a popular one.

Restaurant Tiznit (Marrakech, Morocco)

2011-02-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

Place Jemaa El Fna
Kassabine No28
Marrakech, Morocco

Arriving into the bustling city of Marrakech and checking into our Riad, we decided to explore the Medina (inside the walls of Marrakech). We had done our homework prior to arriving into Marrakech and read about the various scams to be aware of. I won't bore you with the details but, we only got scammed TWICE during our first hour or two in the city..... We somehow managed to find our way to back to our Riad without getting scammed again and debated locking ourselves in our tiny Riad for the next three days.

TNT Adventures...TNT Adventures...we said to ourselves. This isn't TNT UNadventures... Somehow we managed to build up the courage to leave our Riad. I think it was after we realized that we would have to eat eventually and our stomachs were growwwwwwlinggggggg.

After chatting with one of the 30 or so orange juice stands in the Jemma El Fna, we asked him for a restaurant recommendation within the square. He pointed us to Restaurant Tiznit. Tiznit is actually a city in Morocco that is known for its silver, daggers, and sabres (Thanks Wikipedia).

Walking up the stairs to Restaurant Tiznit, we noticed that this restaurant was Tiziny, as in tiny. With about 5 to 6 tables.

Every meal we had in Marrakech started or incorporated a piece of bread or known as khobz. Moroccans will use the bread to scoop the sauces and meats. Typically the bread does not come out warm.

Complimentary bowl of lentils. Another staple of Morrocan cuisine is the lentils.

Tagine de Beouf (60 DH)
When you think Moroccan food, most people think of tagine and couscous. The beef tagine was made with beef, potatoes, and olives. I am definitely no Moroccan food expert, but I thought the tagine was good. Nothing all that exciting but good.

Couscous Morocain (50 DH)
Craving some vegetables, we decided to order a vegetable couscous. The particular version had chickpeas, carrots, some zucchini type veggie, stewed raisins and onions. The couscous itself was light and fluffy, and the sweetened onions and raisins added a nice sweetness to the dish.

Overall, our first official Moroccan meal at Restaurant Tiznit was a fairly positive one. Nothing was extraordinarily delicious, but everything we ate was pretty good. Once again, I am definitely no Moroccan food connoisseur.

San Gines Chocolateria - Madrid, Spain

2011-02-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5
28013 Madrid, Spain
913 656 546

When I was in high school, I remember one of my Spanish textbooks was titled Churros y Chocolate. I always wanted to try real churros and not the Costco or Disneyland variety. Nothing against Costco and Disneyland, but I wanted the real thing.

This chocolateria is located on Pasadizo de San Gines, in the corner of two alleyways meeting together. Knowing the place is an attraction for tourists, we were glad to see the local Madrileños enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in the evening.

Stepping inside, I felt like I was in a fancy schmancy bar. Everything was so bright and shiny, and the waiters were wearing crisp linen shirts and greeted us with a friendly "hola." We could have enjoyed our hot chocolate with churros at the counter for a discount, but decided to pay a bit extra and sat at the tables.

The chocolate was thick, rich, and wasn't overly sweet...almost a bittersweet taste. This was the real deal right here.

The churros came out in thin long strips and were hot and crispy. No soggy churros here. The churro itself was barely if not at all sweetened. The sweet component solely belonged to the pool of chocolate we would soon be bathing the churros in.

The moment I had been waiting for since high school had finally arrived. My heart beat with anticipation. What would it taste like? Would it live up to my lofty expectations???? I am making this a lot more dramatic, but isn't it more interesting this way??

The chocolate and the churro were a perfect marriage made in heaven. Who doesn't like deep fried dough? I sure don't. Who doesn't like chocolate? I sure don't. Here is a close up shot.

My dreams of trying real and authentic churros y chocolate have come to fruition. Yo pienso que churros y chocolate son muy delicioso. Más por favor!!

Giangrossi Helado Artesanal - Madrid, Spain

2011-02-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Calle Cava Baja, 40
www.giangrossi.es

After a nice dinner and walk down Calle Cava Baja, we strolled on into Giangrossi for dessert. Considered as one of Madrid's best ice cream, this place serves Argentinean-style ice cream as well as other food items and interesting cocktails. With its plush white seating and clean decor, this is the more hipper ice cream places that we have been to.

There were so many interesting flavors to pick from so we ordered the Degustacion — a tasting of 5 flavors of your choice (6.5E). We didn't want the 5 flavors all at once so we asked to get them one by one so that the ice cream wouldn't melt. The mini scoops on the mini cones were placed on a line of melted chocolate and powdered cocoa.

Mascarpone with Mixed Berries
The ice cream had the flavor of mascarpone and mixed berries but also had this strange almost slightly gritty texture to it. The gritty texture of the ice cream was not a good thing.

Don't recall what flavor this one was. I know... bad blogger.

Our final three flavors were strawberry, lemon, and ??? The strawberry and lemon were both good and neither had the gritty texture that the mascarpone had.

Just because we didn't think the ice cream was all that fantastic doesn't mean we couldn't finish it.

Flipping through a couple of magazines in our hotel room, I saw that Giangrossi was mentioned as one of the better ice cream places in Madrid. I liked the space and decor of Giangrossi but thought the ice cream was not up to par with the image. If you are looking for a cool place to have a drink, food, and ice cream, Giangrossi might be worth a stop. Just don't expect to be wowed by the ice cream.

Museo del Jamón - Madrid, Spain

2011-01-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

Even if you don't speak Spanish, I am sure one could probably figure out what Museo Del Jamón means. With various locations throughout Madrid, this was one of the places that we visited multiple times during the few days we were in Madrid. Not sure what the Madrileños think of Museo Del Jamón but we really liked it. If you are looking for a place that is quick, cheap, and tasty, you've come to the right place.

As you can see from the pictures, Museo Del Jamón is pretty much a museum of hams. Check out the myriad of hams hanging and the plethora of meats in the deli case.

So here is how it's done. Act like you've done this before, even if you haven't. Walk into the store and go straight to the counter/bar area for drinks and food. Otherwise, go to the deli side and get your various slices of jamón and other deli goods to take away as the Europeans say.

When I say that Museo Del Jamón is cheap, I mean cheap. You can get a bocadillo (bread served with some type of ham) and a beer for about 2E.

Complimentary olives

On a separate visit, we got complimentary tomatoes and bell peppers with small chunks of ham.

Croissant stuffed tomato and jamón.
The croissant bread was actually crunchy and the addition of the tomatoes and jamón went perfectly together for that salty and slightly sweet and acidic combination.

Bocadillo with jamón and tomato
For the price of this 1,50E bocadillo, I have no complaints whatsoever. Same combination of tomatoes and jamon and bread.

Guess what you wash these sandwiches down with? Cerveza!!! Even the beers at Museo Del Jamón are cheap. Straight from the draft and refreshingly cold. Perfect during those hot days in Madrid.

Turns out for breakfast, you can get a breakfast special: Pan Tumaca with your choice of coffee or beer for only 2 euros~! This deal cannot be beat. It was pretty funny that a lady sitting next to me was enjoying a cerveza at 9AM in the morning. When in Madrid, do as the Madrileños do.

Pan Tumaca is essentially a slice of toasted bread rubbed or in this case smothered with a tomato paste-like spread, topped with what else, but jamón and a drizzle of olive oil.

Can't have breakfast without eggs right? This was an order of scrambled eggs on top of bread and also included in this breakfast combo was a slice of bread rubbed with tomato and topped with jamón.

Museo Del Jamón is not a fancy pants type of establishment. Food and drinks here are meant to be quick and cheap. If you are looking for a snack in between meals or just don't feel like spending a whole lot of money, this is the place. The Louvre and Prado have nothing on this museum.

Cerveceria Cervantes - Madrid, Spain

2011-01-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Plaza Jesus, 7
28014 Madrid, Spain
914.296.093

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.

Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name

and they're always glad you came!!

In case you haven't realized it yet, that was the theme song to Cheers. Nobody knew our names at Cerveceria Cervantes, not really sure they were glad we came either. But if I were a local, the Cheers theme song is probably how I would feel at the locals only spot. If you're looking to get a feel for where the locals go and hang, this is the place. Minus us that night of course....

With Spanish being spoken, smoke lingering in the air, and beers flowing from the tap, this is the place that Madrilenos go to linger after work and hang out on the weekends.

Since we weren't sure of what to order because we didn't really do to much of our usual food research for Cerveceria Cervantes, we had to go with the tried and true "Look at other people tables method." Don't act like you've never done this either....

The table before us was snacking on an order of various types of terrines. Being a lover of pates, terrines, and foie, I had to get an order of this. The plate came out and it was a very large portion for a very reasonable price. Don't remember the exact assortment of the 4 different types but all were tasty. This could have easily been shared by 3 or 4 people.

Meat and bread. Can't go too wrong with that combo and my order was no exception to the rule. Simple and satisfying.

Also got an order of shrimps on a piece of sliced bread lathered with aioli. Loaded with a generous amount of these little shrimps, this dish was tad too salty.

Cerveceria Cervantes didn't have the best food on our trip but this place probably had one of the most authentic Madrileno dining/bar experience we had. Noisy restaurant, crowded seating, smoke everywhere, and limited English usually would be a recipe for a bad restaurant, but these just a few reason why this restaurant was enjoyable. Cheers to you Cerveceria Cervantes!

Casa Mingo - Madrid, Spain

2011-01-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

Paseo de la Florida, 34
28008 Madrid, Spain
915.477.918
http://www.casamingo.es/

Casa Mingo is an Asturian style tavern/restaurant that opened in 1888. No 1888 wasn't a typo. This is definitely the oldest restaurant that we have ever been to. The restaurant's decor is a bit of a rustic and darkened wood throughout.

Check out the wall of cider. Don't think they'll be running out of cider anytime soon. The restaurant is known for their reasonably priced food and a simple and concise menu. The most popular items on the menu are the roasted chicken and the cider.

La Cidra (5,20)
The Sidras Mingo is only 5E for a bottle. I now understand why this restaurant is popular with the local college kids. It's the cheap booze.... The bottle of cider had nice bubbles and a faint apple flavor to it.

Chorizo a la Sidra - spicy chorizo sausage cooked in cider (3,30)
I didn't find anything about this chorizo spectacularly special. Was good but nothing to rave about.

Cheese
A generous amount of cheese was given with each order. Once again cheese was good but nothing fantastic.

Mixed Salad (5,50E)
I wasn't very impressed with the mixed salad. It came in a pre-packaged container with saran wrap covering it. The dressing was two packets of vinegar and one of olive oil. Nothing special about this salad.
Is it that much harder to at least put in a bowl and make their own dressing?

Casa Mingo Roasted Chicken (9,50E)
Ahhh the moment I had been waiting for. One of the main reasons why Casa Mingo is as popular as it is. The chicken was moist and nicely roasted. Overall we all enjoyed the chicken but once again was nothing spectacular.

Casa Mingo is popular with the locals and tourists alike because of the fact that it isn't expensive and serves solid and simple food. Ohh yeah.. the fact that they sell alcoholic cider doesn't hurt them either. I think my expectations of Casa Mingo were too high coming in. If I only had a few days in Madrid, I don't feel Casa Mingo is worth a special stop.

Paco Meralgo - Barcelona

2011-01-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

C/ Muntaner, 171
08036 Barcelona, Spain
Tel. 934 309 027
www.pacomeralgo.com

We were on the hunt for the best tapas while in Barcelona. While researching, I saw that Paco Meralgo was mentioned many times. There must be some truth to it if it's mentioned that often. The name Paco Meralgo is actually a play on words with the words comer algo meaning to eat something. Eat something we did!!!

Paco Meralgo's interior is simple and clean. Diners have the choice of either sitting at the bar or a table for larger parties. I believe there are two sides to Paco Meralgo that are mirror images of each other. One side being the smoking side and the other non-smoking.

Gazpacho (4,60)
It was hot the day we decided to sight see and go to Paco Meralgo for lunch. Who needs beer when you can get a refreshing glass of gazpacho instead. Not sure what it was about the gazpacho at Paco Meralgo but this was the best gazpacho I have ever had. A nice balance of flavor and consistency.

Chicken and Ham Croquettes (1,20)
These croquettes came out hot and nicely crisped. Could have eaten about 6 more of these little snacks.

Pan Con Tomate
This was the best pan con tomate that we had on the whole trip. The bread was very nicely toasted, had the perfect amount of tomatoes and a good olive oil.

"Bomba" - big spicy meat ball (2,30)
The "bomba" was like a larger circular version of a croquette but with mayo and a tomato-based sauce on top. The sauces on top is what makes the "bombas" delicious.

"Italoiberico bikini" grilled ham and cheese sandwich (3,20)
The flavor of the iberico ham were really evident in these little bikini sandwiches. The cheese was perfectly melted to complement the ham. Could have eaten a few more of these. A bit on the small side though.

Grilled razor clams (9,20)
Sitting at the bar you can see the plethora of fresh seafood available for the day. These razor clams were practically begging to be grilled and eaten by us. A little squeeze of lemon on each and these were fantastic.

Chunks of black pepper fillet (12,00)
This dish was recommended by the server since I don't eat seafood. At 12E this was a pretty expensive dish for the 7 small pieces of beef but after eating it, it was somewhat worth it. The pieces of beef were perfectly cooked medium/rare and were super tender. The black pepper and salt were all these pieces of beef needed.

Paco Meralgo exceeded all our expectations. If you are looking for a tapas bar with a bit more refinement, then this is the place. I would definitely come back here on my future trips to Barcelona. Yo quiero comer algo!!!

Pinotxo Bar - Barcelona, Spain

2010-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

Mercado de la Boqueria, paradas 66 y 67
Barcelona, Spain
933.171.731

When you think of Mercado de la Boqueria you think of great products. When you think of Pinotxo Bar you think of great food. Great Product + Great Execution = Great Food. This is the kind of math that I don't mind doing.

Pinotxo Bar is always mentioned when people talk about places you must eat at while in Barcelona. Is it strictly because of the food or is it the always smiling and cheery owner Juanito Bayen?

Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas. Usually I am not a huge fan of these beans, but this flavorful preparation was very good. I can see why so many people end up ordering these chickpeas. I liked that they added some course salt to bump up the flavor and add a little texture.

Sausage with mixed greens
Nicely browned and greasy in a good way sausage. The sausage was perfectly cooked leaving the sausage juicy and full of flavor. The mixed green on the side was nice to cut the grease of the sausage and to add some veggies to this solo sausage dish.

Tripe
Whenever we see tripe on the menu, we usually end up ordering it. This tripe was stewed in a tomato and spiced broth that allowed the tripe to soften. The tripe was not tender and soft as I imagined it to be, but was still a good dish.

Omelet
Sitting there at the bar, I noticed a basket of fresh eggs that had just been brought in by a local vendor from the Boqueria. The omelet was served with a piece of pan con tomate. The omelet was good but wasn't anything extraordinary. The pan con tomate was pretty standard, not one of the better ones I had on this trip.

Since it was still morning we opted to have a bit of coffee to end our meal and give us some energy to walk around the beautiful city of Barcelona.

As I wrote in the beginning of this blog post, Great Product + Great Execution = Great Food. In my opinion, this is how I would change the equation for Pinotxo Bar. Great Product + Great Execution = Good Food. Pinotxo Bar gets a lot of love from foodies around the world but I wasn't wowed with any of the dishes that I had on my one visit. Don't get me wrong - the food was good, but not great. Based on this one visit, Pinotxo Bar in my opinion isn't a place that warrants all this attention.

Inopia - Barcelona, Spain

2010-11-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

Closed.

How does a restaurant opened by Albert Adria, the brother of Ferran Adria of El Bulli end up closing its doors? How does a restaurant that is always busy and always has people waiting outside end up closing its doors?

Inopia was one of the few tapas bars that we were lucky enough to eat at while in Barcelona. Inopia is a little more lively, brightly lit, and high energy than most tapas bars. The restaurant is so lively that there is a doorman/bouncer guy that controls the velvet rope.

The Eixample "Bomb" (3.50E)
Eixample is a part of Barcelona. Not sure what the correlation between Eixample the part of Barcelona and the Eixample "bomb" was, but this was a larger version of a croquette. This bomb was stuffed with meat and encased in potato, then fried to a crispy golden brown and topped and bottomed with an almost ketchupy like sauce and an aioli/mayonnaise sauce.

Tomato, burrata, olive, and microgreens
This was one of the specials for the day. Super fresh burrata topped with tomato, microgreens, and some sort of olive, then drizzled with olive oil. This was a super simple yet extremely fresh dish in all aspects.

Iberico ham, cheese, and truffle
Guess how big this sandwich is by looking at the picture? Subway foot long? Not even close. This sandwich was about the size of sharpened pencil and slightly wider than an AA battery. I guess I should have expected that, considering there was iberico ham and truffle in this sandwich. I wished this sandwich was a subway foot long. This was delicious!!!

Homemade Iberian ham croquettes (1.90E)
This croquette came to us fried to a perfect golden brown and nuclear hot, just the way I like it. I couldn't really taste the flavors of the Iberian ham all that much, but still really enjoyed this croquette.

Mini Inopia Burger (3.80E)
Judging from this picture, guess how big this burger was? 1/4 pound? 1/2 pound? Nope... this burger was slightly larger than a French macaron. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare/rare. This was one delicious burger and wished it was a 1/2 pound burger.

Pineapple with lime zest and sugar cane liquor (4.20E)
Since it was so warm in Barcelona during our time there, we wanted something refreshing for dessert. What's more refreshing than fresh pineapple. The pineapple had freshly zest lime skin and was then drizzled with a sugarcane liquor. I loved this dessert!! The zest of the lime really added a freshness and citrus kick to the pineapple and the sugarcane liquor added a bit of sweetness and depth to this dish.

By the time we finished eating, which was really early by Barecelonian standards, there were still long lines outside of the restaurant. Not sure why Inopia ended up closing its doors but I am sad to hear that the restaurant is closed. Word on the street is that the brothers are looking to open a few new restaurants in the Barcelona.

Tres at SLS (Bazaar) - Los Angeles

2010-10-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.slshotels.com/experience/tres
Chef Jose Andres

Tres: The #3 in Spanish or tres in the French word for "VERY."

Tres is The Bazaar's version of brunch. On a Sunday afternoon we decided to head over to Tres for brunch. We wanted a place that was different from the normal ho-hum brunch but still serve some of the brunch elements. Would Tres fit what we were looking for?

Tres and the Bazaar are located in the ultra hip, too-cool-for-school SLS Hotel. Brunch is only served on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00A.M. to 3:00P.M. At the time, brunch cost us $38. This is a long overdue blog post from months back, and unfortunately for you, and fortunately for me, the price is now $42. Glad I got in there before they raised the prices.

The SLS hotel is designed by none other than Philippe Starck. Talk about eclectic and an interestingly designed space. I felt like I was in a candy boutique.

When I think of brunch, I think of egg dishes, breads, fruits, smoked fish, mimosas, and bloody mary's, just to name a few. Tres has most of the basic brunch items covered, but with a twist. One of the things I didn't like was that egg dishes were supplements, meaning it would cost me more money on top of the brunch price. At $42 for a brunch, which isn't a exorbitantly high price nor is it a low price, I figured some egg dishes would be included. Come to think of it, they did have a form of egg that was included: surprisingly, it was caviar.

Coffee and Teas, fresh squeezed juices or aguas frescas (water infused w/ fresh juices)
What I did like about the brunch was that a nice selection of teas were available included in the brunch. They each came out in individual pots. Also appreciated the various fresh squeezed juices that were available for self service.

Caesar "Cardini" Salad - Baby romaine hearts, parmesan cheese.
Although a simple salad, I really enjoyed this version of a Caesar salad because of the grate yourself parmesan cheese, the freshness of the romaine hearts, and my favorite part - little pillow shaped croutons.

Crudite Cups - seasonal vegetables, romesco sauce
Nothing really out of the ordinary with these crudite cups and romesco sauce, but the display presentation was nice.

Gazpacho with traditional condiments
Wouldn't be a Jose Andres brunch without some Spanish influences. Here, a fairly standard version of gazpacho with diced bell peppers.

Charcuterie- A selection of salamis, chorizo, and prosciutto.

Cheeses- Four cheeses available on this particular day.

Selection of Marmalades, Organic Butter and Cream Cheese

Caviar display - American Paddlefish caviar, salmon roe, steamed buns
Underneath the bamboo steamers in the picture were the steamed buns for use with the various types of caviar and creme fraiche. An upscale touch to this brunch.

SLS Carving Display - Chef's selection with accompaniments
Hangar steak with piquillo pepper. The hangar steak was nicely cooked to a medium rare, but lacked enough seasoning.

Smoked Salmon Display - Russ and Daughters Diamond Selection served with caper berries, minced red onions, quail eggs, chives, greek yogurt

Greek Yogurt Parfait - apricot, mixed berries or plain. Fresh fruit in cups with either kiwi and raspberries or watermelon and orange segments. Also pictured is sliced fresh fruits, watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe.

Chef's Selection of Assorted Pastries: croissant, muffins, pain au chocolat, danishes
One of the things I was most impressed about was the quality and selection of pastries and desserts.

Flan with orange segments - The desserts were one of my favorite aspects of the brunch at Tres and the flan was no exception.

Chocolate mouse with berries, madeleines, gelees, and various assortment of cookies. I think the dessert selection at this restaurant is enough to last me for a whole month...

There were some elements of the brunch that I felt were lacking. In my opinion, the brunch lacks the comforting items normally associated with brunch, such as the egg dishes and pancakes or french toast. I realize that these items can be ordered a la carte, but to spend $42 without these items is bit much personally. The brunch had an interesting mix of various and quality foods, but were kind of all over the place.

We enjoyed the overall experience of the brunch at Tres, especially sitting amidst the whimsical design and ambiance of the restaurant. Everything that was served during the brunch was of high quality. The highlight of the brunch was the selection of desserts available and the quality with which they were made. Based on food alone, I'm not sure this brunch would warrant a return, but taken together with the whole experience, I believe it is definitely worth trying out.

Break of Dawn (Laguna Hills, CA)

2010-10-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

24351 Avenida De La Carlota
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
949.587.9418
breakofdawnrestaurant.com
Chef/Owner: Dee Nguyen
8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

As the former executive sous chef at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, Chef Dee Nguyen was on the path to opening his own fine dining restaurant one day. But Chef Nguyen had to reevaluate his professional career track when his son became permanently disabled. Chef Dee left the Ritz and opened his own restaurant Break of Dawn and has gained much acclaim from the culinary folks ever since. Break of Dawn opens only for breakfast and lunch so that Chef Dee could spend more time with his son and wife. His inspiring story is one that tugs at your heart. Read more on their website.

His dishes reflect his attention to detail and artistry.The menu is split into two categories: Traditional and Savory. He creates the classic American hearty breakfast dishes inspiring them with his Vietnamese and French influence.

Skillet - roasted new potatoes, bacon, cheddar poached eggs, guacamole and chipotle sour cream. (11)
My two friends each ordered their own Skillet. Here's your classic comfort breakfast food. You got everything you always wanted on a fiery hot skillet, steaming with lots of savory flavors. They thoroughly enjoyed the dish as I remembered.

Benedict - poached eggs, grilled potato bread, smoked ham and Asian pesto hollandaise (11)
I was quite amazed at this simple, yet artistic presentation of my dish. Country potatoes were nicely seasoned and fried. The pesto and Hollandaise sauce was pretty light and mild for my taste.

The poached eggs were perfectly shaped with a nice little tail at the end. As I pierced my fork through the egg, the yellow yolk oozed out over the seared ham. Chef Dee once said, "There are at least five things one needs to balance for the poached egg: heat, salt, vinegar, water and the pot." (OC Register)

French Toast Creme Brulee (12)
What a concept! French toast with Crème Brûlée? Several thick slabs of raisin and cinnamon brioche with generous amounts of creamy chocolate drizzle was sitting atop this huge round dish of a thin layer of crème brûlée. The crème brûlée had some coconut and Kahlua flavors and the nicely caramelized crust finished the dessert well. Do share with others because it's a lot and was a bit sweet and rich for me, especially if you are eating it after a savory breakfast. Just a few bites would be enough to satisfy the sweet tooth. At least for me it did.

Break of Dawn is located in the plaza next to the Laguna Hills Mall. I wouldn't have imagined this gourmet breakfast-brunch restaurant being in this suburban type setting (ie. Trader Joe's is right next door) but I'm glad that there's a restaurant where the chef fuses different heritage influences into classic dishes, creating culinary works of art.

Eat Chow - Costa Mesa

2010-09-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

1802 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949.650.CHOW
www.eatchownow.com

Orange County is a place with many, many chain restaurants so it's nice to find little gems here and there. Eat Chow is a quaint and hip little restaurant that doesn't serve your typical fries, but serve you truffle Parmesan garlic fries; or it doesn't have just regular hamburgers with ketchup and mustard, but burgers with housemade sauce, crispy onions, bacon, gouda cheese on a brioche bun. There were many interesting items on the menu and I would probably just have to come back again to try them out.

Truffle Parmesan Fries
These fries were wonderfully crispy with minced roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese with, of course, bold hints of the truffle oil. Yum!

Spanish Style Roasted Chicken Salad (7.50 for a small) - Romaine, Shredded Cabbage, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Goat Cheese, Marcona Almonds, Medjool Dates, Peanuts with Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette
This was a nice fresh salad with all the ingredients I wanted. Minus the sweet corn. They forgot to add in the corn! And I knew the salad wouldn't be complete without the taste of that sweetness. All the components went well with each other, making this not your usual order of green salad.

Chow BBQ Burger (10) - Housemade BBQ sauce, smoked gouda, crispy onions and bacon on a toasted brioche bun
The height of this tasty burger can be intimidating at first, but just pressed it down and take one big bite to indulge in all the wonderful flavors at once. Call me crazy but whenever I see a burger with bbq sauce, crispy onions, and bacon, I always compare it to my beloved Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. Yes, you heard me right. One of my favorite fast food burgers next to In-N-Out. This burger could have been excellent but the bbq sauce wasn't bbqey enough. I wanted more of that boldness that comes from bbq sauce.

After dining, we ventured into the connected hipster clothing store, The Closet. There seems to be a hipster-ish theme at the restaurant so it makes sense for the two to be connected. And I think there's a discount at the clothing store if you dine at Eat Chow.

Thai Nakorn (Garden Grove, CA)

2010-09-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

12532 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
714.583.8938
thainakornrestaurant.com

Ask pretty much anyone in Orange County where the best Thai restaurant is and invariably the majority will say Thai Nakorn. Being a self-professed Thai food lover and coming from a family that once owned a Thai restaurant, I'm with the majority on this one.

Thai Nakorn has two locations, one in Garden Grove and one in Stanton. Both restaurants are large with ample seating for large parties. Come to think of it, every time I come here I always see some type of celebratory meal going on.

Thai Beef Salad
Thai Nakorn isn't one of those restaurants that really tones down the spice level, although they can if you want, but they can also "kick it up a notch" (sorry Emeril). The Thai beef salad is always a great beginning to the meal. I love the interplay of flavors and textures in Thai food - crunchy, sweet, spicy, and sour.

Chicken Satay - $8.45
Who doesn't like grilled meat on a skewer? Chicken satay is no exception. The satay is marinated in curry and other spices and then grilled. To top it off, literally that is, is the simultaneously sweet, spicy, and peanutiness of the peanut sauce. The slightly pickled onion and cucumbers add a crunchy coolness to this dish.

Pad See Ewe
I never go to a Thai restaurant without ordering Pad See Ewe or Pad Thai. Thai Nakorn has a delicious Pad See Ewe. Just the right consistency on the noodles and perfect ratio of noodles, meat, to veggie ratio.

Nam Sod with Crispy Rice - $8.45
For those of you who aren't familiar with Nam Sod, this dishes' ingredients are ground pork, onion, ginger, peanuts, lime juice, and sometimes with or without the crispy rice. I prefer ordering with the crispy rice because it gives the dish an added texture and flavor. This is a "sod" after dish anytime I come here.

Fried catfish with mango salad/sauce
The catfish is battered and then golden-fried like a fish and chip without the chip. The dish is to be eaten together with the mango salad. Any fish dish with the mango salad is always a good thing at Thai Nakorn.

I have been going to Thai Nakorn back in the days when it was located near Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. The restaurant has been in business for many years, a testament to how good Thai Nakorn is. Ask me where the best Thai restaurant in Orange County is and I'll answer with Thai Nakorn too.

Langer's Delicatessen - Los Angeles

2010-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

704 South Alvarado
Los Angeles, CA 90057
213.483.8050
www.langersdeli.com
Mon-Sat 8am-4pm

Situated across the street from MacArthur Park, you don't really want to cruise the streets at night or hang out here too long. But step inside and it's a whole different world with a nostalgic feel of a mom and pop coffeeshop back in the 60s, but more on a larger scale with about 7-8 cooks behind the counter, piling on the meat on top of the sliced breads. And many, many waiters and waitresses running around the restaurant to serve the hungry customers.

Langer's is always crowded, especially during lunch time. Lines out the door is pretty common. The huge menu could get overwhelming with different selections of sandwiches, steaks, and salads. Even grilled liver is on the menu if you dare try. But whenever I come here, I just order their most popular item: #19.

Pastrami sandwich with swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian style dressing served on rye bread (14.95)
The outer crust of the rye bread is crispy while the inner part of the bread is quite soft. I love sinking my teeth into the generous portion of the smokey flavored pastrami and swiss cheese. I would think the cole slaw would come as a side, but piled atop of the pastrami just completes this delicious sandwich altogether. Every bite is scrumptious!

The famous #19 pastrami sandwich is a pricey $14.95 but really worth it for the hefty pile of meat. I wouldn't share this sandwich with anyone, don't want to be giving death stares at each other. This delicatessen is a place worth coming back to over and over again. Langer's is notably THE place for the pastrami sandwich in the West Coast; Katz's being THE place in the East. I would say that Langer's beats Katz's in the battle of East coast and West coast. (The parking lot is on 7th Street and Westlake. Get your parking ticket stamped for a 1 hour validation).

Mo-Chica - Los Angeles

2010-09-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

3655 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90007
213.747.2141
www.mo-chica.com
Chef: Ricardo Zarate

Mo-Chica is a contemporary Peruvian restaurant that has gained quite a following over a very short period of time with every blogger and their mother having blogged Mo-Chica. Ricardo Zarate is the talented chef and owner and is also about to open a new restaurant called Anticucho.

Located near USC, the restaurant is in the Mercado La Paloma. The inside opens up to a warehouse that houses an eclectic assortment of restaurants, gift shops, a florist, computer supply store, and an alterations shop. Among this random mix, Mo-Chica is definitely what I would call a hidden gem.

The menu is small and concise. They know what they are good at and for the most part, they do it very well.

Toasted Corn Nuts - complimentary
To start off, diners are given a small bowl of toasted corn nuts. These aren't the corn nuts that normally come to mind in the ranch, chile picante, and barbecue flavored, but real large corn kernels that are toasted and salted. I personally prefer the flavored ones.

Mo-Chica has an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages to choose from such as Maracuya (Passion fruit juice) Cebada (barley iced tea) and the Chicha Morada (purple corn iced tea). I chose the Maracuya, which was sweet, refreshing, and definitely passion fruity.

Ceviche del dia - 5
Mo-Chica is probably best known for their ceviche, with some proclaiming it as the best Peruvian ceviche in all of LA. The ceviche del dia was a sea bass on this dia. Included with the sea bass dish were red onions, seaweed, sweet potato, corn, and toasted corn. The sea bass was definitely very fresh and the flavors of all the components came together very nicely, texturally and flavor-wise. I can't say I am a big fan of the white corn pieces, not much flavor.

Here is a close-up of the sea bass. Beautiful.

Lomo Saltado - 13
Mo-Chica serves its lomo saltado with prime beef filet, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. I've had this dish quite a few times, but never with prime beef filet. Being a huge fan of lomo saltado, I was really looking forward to this dish. Although the dish was good with tender pieces of filet, I wished there was more sauce to be eaten with the rice. Plus, the portion size was quite small for $13. I guess that's the price to pay for the prime beef filet.

Not having a whole lot of experience with Peruvian food, with the exception of a few restaurants and food courts, we enjoyed our experience at Mo-Chica. Not everything was a hit, but the hits outweighed the misses. Do I want some mo' Mo-Chica? Sure, give me some mo'!

Cream Pan - Tustin

2010-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

602 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
714.665.8239
Hours: 7:00-4:00pm

I don't like giving something "THE BEST" mark unless it's REALLY...REALLY... good. But the strawberry croissants here are THE BEST. It's definitely a must order when you come here.

And you can't share it with anyone or just eat half and save it for later because by the time you think you might have just one more bite, it's already gone and you're licking your fingers or wiping the powdered sugar off your lips.

As you sink your teeth into the deliciousness, you'll hear the flaky, crispiness of the croissant and then you'll taste the silky custard with the sweet and tanginess of the fresh strawberries.

The other pastries are pretty good too, but the strawberry croissants really wow me. I've also tried their sandwiches and vegetable soup, which are both good.

Come early because the croissants run out quickly. If we have a family get together, we make sure to order ahead in the morning, even if we're ordering just 4 of them.

Sigh..just writing this review makes me drool.

WARNING: Be careful when eating the strawberry croissants. I always somehow seem to inhale the powdered sugar, causing me to cough. So worth it though!!!

Sushi Wasabi - Tustin

2010-06-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

14460 Newport Avenue, Suite E
Tustin, CA 92780
714.505.3490

You would not believe that one of the best sushi places in Orange County is located in the same plaza as AutoZone, 7-11, and even a check cashing place. But "trust me!" as Chef Katsu would say. There is nothing fancy about this place as you can see from the picture below. The real gem is inside.

Fresh quality fish is what Sushi Wasabi is all about. Sushi and traditional hand rolls. No California rolls, no spider rolls, no rainbow rolls.

Sitting at the bar gets you omakase - which means you are entrusting the chef to serve you the best and freshest fish he has to offer. If you want to order items off the menu, you would have to sit at the tables. After serving about 7 courses, the chef will ask if you want to continue. He'll suggest some or you can request if he has certain items.

Albacore Sashimi
My omakase experience started off with a bang! This Canadian albacore is served chilled with ponzu and scallion. The tangy, citrus ponzu was excellent that I wished for a spoon to drink it. The albacore was most soft and tender that I could softly chew with my tongue. The fish just melted away so quickly, leaving me wanting more. (I ordered another one of these dishes at the end of my meal). By far, my favorite!

Mebachi (Bigeye Tuna)
The tuna is from Tahiti and glowed such a richness of the red color. Absolutely fresh, soft and smooth.

Tai (Red Snapper)
The New Zealand Red Snapper is served with tobiko, scallion, and a spritz of ponzu. It had a very light, citrus and delicate taste to it. Very good.

Blue Crab Hand Roll
This is Sushi Wasabi's signature dish. The skinny seaweed wrapped roll is filled with real crab meat and a touch of mayonnaise. Seeing another customer dip the crab hand roll into the soy sauce, I copied her move. Wrong move. It was too salty for me. The hand roll stands on its own... (maybe just a quick dash of soy sauce if you really need it). But nonetheless, this was definitely tasty and deserves a second order!

Baked Scallop
The shell is filled with baked scallops, sauteed onions, creamy mayo and scallions, floating in soup-like warm ponzu. Again, I wish I had a spoon to scoop it all up.

Hamachi (Yellowtail)
The yellowtail is from Japan. On the left, is the stomach, which is very soft and tender. To the right, is the back of the yellowtail and is quite firm, yet still has that buttery taste.

Hirame (Halibut)
I don't remember where this halibut was from, but it was very nice and had more of the ponzu. It was thinly sliced. If you look close, you can see through to the wasabi underneath.

Sake (Salmon)
The Scottish Salmon was wonderfully fresh and buttery and was embellished with some kind of flexible, sweet film and sesame seeds. It was well-balanced and I enjoyed the extra flavors to the salmon. Another favorite.

Hotategai (Scallop)
These are fresh scallop from northern Japan. With a squeeze of the lime (not too much though), the scallops had a nice fresh, not seafood-y tasting. I usually am hesitant about eating scallops, but after trying these firm scallops, it's beginning to grow on me.

Uni (Sea Urchin)
The uni is from Santa Barbara and had a smooth, sweet and delicate flavor. Sushi etiquette says that sushi should be eaten fish side down, with the fish touching the tongue first to appreciate the taste. I didn't think of this as I ate my first piece because naturally the uni would probably fall off. But my husband suggested I eat it like other sushi - upside down - with the uni touching the tongue first. Oh my, it was a totally different taste. With the first piece, I tasted only the seaweed and barely tasted the uni. It was okay, nothing special, But upon the second piece (upside down), the taste in my mouth was predominately of the creamy uni. Yum!

We were sitting next to one couple who got excited over us taking pictures of each dish. They used to document the foods, especially here at Sushi Wasabi. But they stopped, after going every week for the sushi. (I'm jealous!) They commented how Sushi Wasabi was their favorite (and they mentioned that in their opinion it was better than Sasabune in LA, Honolulu, and NY).

As I was enjoying my meal, I realized it's been about 3 years since I last ate here! And I gave my husband a look and questioned him.."So...why don't we eat here more often?" Oh right, he doesn't eat seafood, but he doesn't mind watching me eat. I guess he'll be watching me eat more often...

Native Foods - Tustin

2010-06-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

2453 Avenue (The District)
Tustin, CA 92782
714.259.0400
www.nativefoods.com
Vegan Chef: Tanya Petrovna

Why is eating healthy so difficult? It's expensive, hard to find, inconvenient. So when an organic/vegan/vegetarian restaurant opened nearby, I was ecstatic! (I'm not vegetarian, but I like healthy). This innovative Chef Tanya's mantra is "fresh and local foods using organic ingredients whenever possible." And her foods are homemade each day.

Ensalada Azteca (9.95) - Fresh avocado, cucumber and jicama salsa atop organic quinoa, romaine and mango lime vinaigrette. Topped with currants, toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro.
I've eaten here 3 times already, and all 3 times, I ordered this Ensalada Azteca (I know, unadventurous). But the salad has so many different layers of flavors and textures. Crunchy jicama, sweet currants, smooth avocado, citrusy dressing, and other fresh ingredients make this a hearty salad that made me full and satisfied.

Portobello and Sausage Burger (9.95) - Juicy grilled portobellos, homemade Seitan sausage, pomodoro, caramelized onions, sweet roasted garlic, creamy pumpkin seed pesto and mayo.

I was a little hesitant to order a faux meat item for the first time in my life. This portobello and sausage burger was actually made of seitan, a wheat gluten. I am happy to report that the seitan was actually pretty good. It was almost as though I was eating real meat, though not quite. The flavors of the seitan, portobellos, onions, garlic, pesto, and mayo went well together. I am not going to say this was one of the best burgers I have ever had, but pretty good considering it is a vegan burger.

Native Foods also has a rewards card and when you sign up, you get a free drink. By the way, Native Foods does not serve any soft drinks! They have some very nice refreshing lavender lemonade, watermelon fresca, and native ice tea, which are sweetened either with organic sugar or agave. I enjoyed the lavender lemonade the most. Beer and wine are also available.

We recently attended one of Chef Tanya's tasting demo at the District where she introduced her recipes of possible new items for her menu. Throughout the whole demo, she kept emphasizing going meatless one day a week which would greatly reduce our carbon footprint... Anybody dare to try this with me?

Osteria Mamma - Los Angeles (Mid-Wilshire)

2010-06-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

5732 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel: 323.284.7060
www.osteriamamma.com
Chef: Loredana Cecchinato

Mamma and Filippo are back! I've been lucky to have dined here a dozen times already and each time is a special treat for me. The dishes are real and authentic, made from Mamma's heart. She serves simple, yet elegantly tasteful Italian dishes that takes me back to Italy. The pastas here are homemade and it makes a huge difference. There are just too many wonderful dishes to name here....and the specials are amazing too.

The place has a traditional European homey feel with the nostalgic photographs of Mamma and her family on the wall. I like how the restaurant's decor is simple because it helps us appreciate what really shines here: Mamma's cooking!

Happy Cristina...and Mamma stepping out of the kitchen to greet her customers.

Here's fresh bread with daily homemade spicy marinara sauce. The selection of breads have been different each time I come here.

Tagliere di Formaggi (15.25) - a selection of imported Italian cheeses, truffle honey and wine jelly
A nice presentation of 3 different kinds of cheeses, olives, artichokes, grape tomatoes, and arugula. And the truffle honey and wine jelly are excellent touches to finish the goodness. I especially enjoyed the truffle honey on the cheeses.

Burrata Felice (13.95) - Di Stefano Burrata with organic eggplant and heirloom tomatoes

Eaten all together, this taste so fresh and light. The burrata is soft, light and creamy that works wonders in your mouth with the the eggplant and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.

Gorgonzola Salad (8.95) - baby wild arugula, caramelized walnuts, brown pear, imported gorgonzola
A very light and refreshing salad. When eaten together in one bite, you'll find it very tasty with all the different textures and flavors from the pears and walnuts and gorgonzola.

Artichoke Soup (special of the day)

Mamma is starting to do soups now which are comforting and satisfying. The soup hits the spot on a cold day with its creaminess and flavors of the caramelized onions and artichokes.

Fried squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese (special of the day)

The cheese was surprisingly mild and went well with the lightly battered squash blossoms and zucchini. A very interesting concept.

Bacon wrapped scallops (special of the day)

The scallops were nicely cooked and the bacon had a wonderful caramelized crisp.

Reginette della Mamma (16.25) - cream sauce, guanciale, sausage and Treviso radicchio

This dish reminds me of homecooked comfort food. The guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon) and the sausage really adds to the flavor, making it really hearty and tasty.

Linguine al Pomodoro (12.25) - linguine with fresh tomato sauce
Sometimes you're in the mood for just simple, no nonsense homemade pasta and fresh tomato sauce. Each bite is just so satisfying.

Linguine alla Cristina (12.95) - linguine with spicy tomato sauce

And this one has a bit of that spicy kick to it. Very fresh and delicious!

Trenette Nere alla Bottarga (17.95) - black squid ink trenette, organic cherry tomatoes, shrimp and bottarga

Another special dish of Mamma's. This whole dish represents the sea. There's plump shrimp, bottarga (which is Mediterranean cured roe) and black squid ink pasta. The homemade pasta has a light and nice "ocean" taste to it.

Gnocchi del Boscaiolo (14.75) - cream sauce, baby green peas, ham and white mushrooms

This is my absolute favorite dish!! A heaven's delight... Seriously, it's a soft, pillowy cloud that just...melts...in your mouth. And the cream sauce with the mushrooms, peas and ham complements each other so well. I can't even describe how good this dish is. I have also ordered gnocchi with the pink vodka sauce which I also recommend. My mouth is watering just writing this description.

Gnocchi with artichoke cream sauce and pancetta (special of the day)

Again, I can't reiterate enough how wonderful Mamma's gnocchi are. The artichoke cream sauce just helps the gnocchi melt in your mouth...

Linguine with pesto sauce and cherry tomatoes (special of the day)
This pasta dish was very light and tasty with the pesto sauce and fresh tomatoes. The pasta was cooked al dente and the portions were just right also (no need for a huge sized portion when there are so many other dishes to try)
.

Lauriano Pizza (14.75) tomato sauce/mozzarella/parma/prosciutto/ricotta/arugula
The pizzas at Osteria Mamma are just another species. They have the right balance of sauce, mozzarella and the other ingredients. Here, the Lauriano pizza is quite flavorful. The prosciutto balances the arugula so well. And the dough is light and crispy that just makes me want to eat another slice too many!

And as for desserts, the panna cotta and tiramisu are my favorites. The texture of the panna cota is smooth and creamy and has just the right amount of sweetness complemented by the berries and berry sauce. I'm not a tiramisu person at all, but when I took my first bite of the tiramisu, I couldn't get enough of it. It was fluffy and not heavy or too sweet.

I don't think I can ever get tired of Mamma's food. The flavorings of each dish are wonderfully put together. Each time I eat here, I feel like it's a new experience. The pastas and pizzas are just mouth watering. And the people running this restaurant are friendly and heartwarming. I definitely walk out of here with a big smile and hoping to come back soon.

Marche Moderne #2

2010-05-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa
(714) 434-7900
www.marchemoderne.net
Chefs: Florent and Amelia Marneau

One of our favorite restaurants in Orange County is Marche Moderne located in South Coast Plaza. Not your typical mall food at the husband and wife run French restaurant. This quaint and charming restaurant serves up some of the best French food in Orange County and has one of the best prix fixe lunch specials around. For $20 or $25 depending on what's on the menu, you get an excellent 3 course meal that could easily cost $40 to $50+ elsewhere.

Charcuterie: homemade duck terrine, salame rosa, la quericia prosciutto, chorizo sarta, saucisson sec, tast, pickled vegetables, mustard cream - 13
Love the presentation of this beautiful charcuterie plate. An excellent assortment of hams, saucissons, and a terrine. This plate has it all with cornichons, wonderful meats, and nice little baguettes. Always a great way to start off a meal.

Selection of breads for the day.

Pencil asparagus and shaved zucchini salad, wild argula, buttermilk-mustard vinaigrette and shaved parmesan.
Reading the description of the salad, everything sounded wonderful and I was sure this would be another excellent salad. This could have been and would have been if not for the saltiness of the salad. The buttermilk-mustard vinaigrette with the combination of the shaved parmesan, made this salad too salty for me.

Braised Korubuta pork shanks, couscous, mint emulsion, cilantro, almond, garbanzo beans
Pefectly braised and fork tender korubuta pork shanks. The shank was so flavorful, moist, and delicious. Normally not a huge fan of couscous or garbanzo beans, I really enjoyed how the perfectly cooked couscous complemented the pork here. The mint emulsion did a fantastic job of cooling and lightening up the stronger flavor of the pork and the jus. Great dish.

Roasted seared albacore, ponzu, enoki mushrooms, crispy yams, cilantro and scallions salad.
This dish was definitely an Asian accented dish. A bit of a surprise coming from a French restaurant. This dish displays the skills of Chef Florent into other cuisines. The seared albacore was perfectly seared with just the outer layer being cooked and the inner still raw. I enjoyed the use of the cilantro and scallions in the dish to add a herbiness and brightness to this dish. The ponzu was perfectly executed with just the right of flavoring, not too salty, acidic, or sweet. I really enjoyed the freshness of this dish.

Lemon semolina cake, strawberry mousseline, vanilla stewed blueberries
The presentation of this dish was simple yet masterfully done. Desserts at Marche Moderne are created by Amelia Marneau. Loved the light flavors of this dessert. Slight but present flavor of lemon on the semolina cake with the concentrated flavor of vanilla stewed blueberries and the light airy strawberry mousseline. Great way to end the meal.

Another great meal at Marche Moderne. I would not hesitate to return and never do hesitate. There is a reason why Marche Moderne is considered one of the best in Orange County.

Daniel Boulud Brasserie - Las Vegas

2010-05-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

Wynn Hotel - Las Vegas
888.352.3463

After watching episodes of "After Hours with Daniel" on Hulu, I have gained even more respect for this renowned chef. Although Daniel Boulud Brasserie isn't his flagship restaurant and not as creative as the dishes he would normally serve, I figured this is as close as I would get for now.

The restaurant was participating in the "Taste of Wynn" and offering a prix fixe dinner for $49.

Duck Terrine with red onion marmalade
The duck terrine was served with an assortment of pickled vegetables and bread on the side. I liked the fun yet simple plating on the dish that allowed me to try out different combination of vegetables and either mustard or the red onion marmalade.

Parsnip Soup with black walnut spiced bread
Since the wifey got the terrine, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the parsnip soup with black walnut spiced bread. The soup was smooth with a subdued but present parsnip flavor. I thought the black walnut spiced bread was a nice addition to the dish.

Escargots
Can't comment on these much. I didn't get to try them out. Our dining companions thought it was OK and a different interpretation of escargots.

DB Burger - 9oz sirloin stuffed with braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffle - 32
Some of our friends joined us on this meal and instead of ordering the prix fixe menu one of them decided to try out the DB Burger. My friends were generous enough to offer a bite of the DB Burger, but the bite I had didn't have any foie gras or black truffle or at least enough to taste it. He commented that he wasn't all that impressed with the DB Burger either.

Sea Scallops - beurre noisette, caper, raisin, cauliflower
The presentation was nice with a row of scallops alternating with cauliflower, pearl onions and tomatoes. The sauce lightly flavored the scallops, and the other components on the dish nicely added a fresh taste to the dish. But overall, the flavors were a bit too mild and didn't wow me as much as other scallop dishes I've tried.

Steak frites - 8 oz sirloin onion compote french fries watercress salad
Simple, straightforward and delicious. Here we have a a classic brasserie dish - the steak frites. The steak was cooked perfectly to a specified medium rare. I appreciated the addition of the onion marmalade and the watercress salad to add to extra flavor and variety to this simple dish. The frites were fantastic as well, perfectly fried.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fondant
The chocolate hazelnut fondant was smooth as a fondant should be. The chocolate and hazelnut flavors had just the right amount of flavor and to balance each other out. The scoop of ice cream and the crisp nicely added extra texture and flavor to the already rich dessert.

Warm Apple Tatin with maple ice cream
This reminded me of a sophisticated gourmet apple pie. The apples were caramelized in butter and sugar. I think I would rather have a warm, simple comforting apple pie than this gourmet version. It was a bit tricky to try to get all the components of the dessert in a perfect bite.

Mignardises
We ended our meal with some complimentary mignardises from the restaurant. Nice little touch.

Service was excellent during out meal. There was an incident where a fork almost fell off of the table, and the waiter with ninja-like instincts magically caught the fork midair. Daniel Boulud Brasserie serves simple brasserie food. Don't expect to be wowed by creativity; this is simple brasserie food that is done very well. I heard the restaurant will be closing in towards the end of May. I'll be sad to see this restaurant go.

Egg & I - Las Vegas

2010-05-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

4533 W. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702.364.9686
www.theeggworks.com
Hours - 6AM to 3PM

Every time I come to Las Vegas, I always try new places, preferring not to go to the same restaurant again unless the restaurant is that damn good or worth it. For some reason, this rule of mine has been thrown out the window the last 4 times I have been to Las Vegas. I keep coming back to Egg and I to get my breakfast fix and I'm not even a huge breakfast lover.

Similar to the Korean restaurants that use a button to get the waiter's attention or Brazilian BBQ with the green for keep it coming or the red for I am stuffed..."no more!!!" Egg and I has the flip-the-egg sign with the sad face signifying that I am one unhappy egg and need something. And the smiley face side is left to say "I am a happy camper."

Homemade banana nut muffin - complimentary
Took some friends here for their first time and one of our friends took a bite and responded, "The Bomb!" That pretty much sums it up for me too.

Banana pancakes - These pancakes are a must for any banana pancake lover. Fluffy and moist with
the perfect amount of bananas strategically placed. The bananas somehow slightly get caramelized adding to the flavor of these pancakes.

Ultimate Skillet - Sausage, ham, bacon, mushroom, onions, tomato, bell pepper, spinach, and eggs any way you like.
The wifey ordered the Ultimate Skillet. Ultimate is the word when describing this skillet. Underneath this meat and veggie mixture is the yummy ranch potatoes. All of these components come together harmoniously to make a delicious and hearty skillet.

Blackened Prime Rib Benny - Grilled croissant with diced prime rib, sauteed spinach, roasted bell peppers and two poached eggs then covered in hollandaise sauce.
I have been to Egg and I four times, and each of the four times I have ordered the Blackened Prime Rib Benny. I love breaking into the poached eggs, allowing the yokes to ooze out. Another favorite of mine is the ranch potatoes. The tots are seasoned with a Lawry like seasoning salt that makes them all the more addicting.

Normally I wouldn't go out of my way for a breakfast or find myself craving it. Great prices, great portions, and great food has me coming back each and every time I come to Las Vegas. Egg and I is not a fancy pants establishment. This place knows what it does and does it well. Large portions and a fulfilling meal is what you get here. I'll be here next time I'm in Vegas. See you soon Egg and I!!

SEABLUE - Las Vegas

2010-04-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

MGM Grand - Las Vegas
702.891.3486

SEABLUE is the creation of James Beard award-winning chef Michael Mina and inspired by the bustling ports and marketplaces of the Mediterranean. We heard about a fantastic happy hour that SEABLUE has from Sunday - Friday 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. $2 Stella Artois or Fat Tire, $1 oysters, as well as a few other items.

Chermoula Chicken Skewers - 3

Had no idea what chermoula was but not a big seafood eater, so had to order what was available. Chermoula is actually a sauce or marinade that is popular in Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian food. The marinade is sometimes made with lemon, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, paprika, saffron, parsley, and oil. Not sure which was the chermoula the marinade rub or the red sauce. These skewers were actually quite good. Nicely seasoned and cooked. I actually liked the skewers better without the red sauce.

Salt and Pepper Calamari - 5

Everyone at the table thought these were just OK. Very lightly breaded and slightly seasoned. The accompanying sauce helped add a bit of flavor. Not bad for $5 but not a must order or a favorite of the night.

Lobster Corndogs - 7

Really excited to try this dish out when I saw it on the menu. Lobster??? Corndogs??? High end expensive item.. and at the opposite end of spectrum the corn dog - ultimate comforting fair food. The end result was not bad. For $7, I can't complain too much. Didn't taste as fantastic as we dreamt it would be though.

Oysters and Shrimps - 1

I came to SEABLUE with a bunch of oyster lovers and they were not disappointed at all. $1.. I repeat $1 for oysters. On this particular night, they were Fanny Bay Oysters. I am not sure whether there are other choices on other nights. Crisp, clean, and fresh. I think by the end of the night our group of 6 ended up ordering over 50+ oysters. The shrimps were good too, but didn't compare to the oysters.

For any oyster lover, this is a mandatory stop while in Las Vegas - $2 Stellas and Fat Tires, $1 oysters, as well as a few other items. This is a must go! Their happy hour has to be one of the better deals in Vegas. I would recommend coming at least 10 to 15 minutes early to snag a seat...SEABLUE fills up quickly.

Thai & Chinese Express - Irvine

2010-03-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

2540 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614
949.724.1813

Could one of the best Pad Thai and Pad See Ew in Orange County come from a food court in Irvine????

On my first visit to Thai and Chinese Express, I ordered a two-item combo from the pick what you want, a la most Chinese takeout fast food places. For my first item, I went with the orange chicken which is always a favorite of mine. Their version was OK, but my second item was the yellow curry. The curry was some of the best curry that I have had in a while, with the heat of the curry definitely present, the taste of the coconut wasn't overwhelming and the kaffir lime leaves giving off their distinct flavoring. I could really taste the complexity of the curry with all of the various components coming together.

Pad See Ew with beef - 6.25
The pad see ew, unlike the heated steam tray items, is made to order. When opening the styrofoam container the vapor and the essence of the slightly sweet, smoky, and meaty aroma makes its way directly to my nose, which in turn, kicks my salivary glands in overdrive.

The noodles are cooked to a perfect texture. They aren't mushy and too soft but a perfect consistency that gives just the right amount of resistance when bitten into. My meat of choice with pad see ew is beef. Thai and Chinese Express does a wonderful job of cooking the meat and slightly carmelizing it. I have eaten the pad see ew on 3 different occasion here, and each and every time, there have been broccoli and carrots, but they have also added broccolini and bok choy on a few of my visits.

Pad Thai with chicken - 6.25
Usually when I got to Thai restaurants, I always order pad see ew and pad thai as my gauge to how good the restaurant is. The pad thai, like the pad see ew, is excellent. The noodles are cooked to perfection and the hard-to-describe flavor of pad thai is spot on. The chef uses just the right amount of tamarind, fish sauce, and other spices to flavor the pad thai. Not too sweet, salty, or spicy (unless spicy is your thing, they'll have no problem accommodating you).

Portions of noodles and food at Thai and Chinese Express are very generous, filling a large styrofoam container for only $6.25. Another item not to be missed is their Thai tea. I consider myself a bit of a Thai tea connoisseur and theirs is the perfect blend of tea to milk/cream ratio, with the flavor of the tea being evident and the tea not being cavity-inducingly sweet.

Where Thai and Chinese Express shines in my opinion is not the Chinese food but definitely the Thai food. After chatting with owner/chef for a bit, I found out why. The owners are from Thailand. This little food court restaurant is serving up some very authentic and delicious Thai dishes.

So, does one of the best pad thai and pad see ew come from a food court in Irvine? The verdict is... YES!! Since this is a business food court the hours a bit strange. Open Mon-Fri 10:30 to 8:00. Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00.

PastaBAR

2010-03-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

705 North1st St Suite #110
Phoenix, AZ 85004

602.687.8704

www.pastabaraz.com

"The best way to make a quality product is to infuse quality at every chance." This is PastaBAR's philosophy. PastaBAR specializes in using only high quality ingredients and freshly made pasta each and every day. They had me at freshly made pasta. Or did they???

Chef/Owner Wade Moises once worked at both Lupa and Babbo, part of Mario Batali's restaurant empire. After working at these restaurants, I assume that Wade Moises must have a pretty good idea how to cook Italian by now.

PastaBAR definitely has a casual vibe and a minimalistic approach to the design of the restaurant. Naked light bulbs hang from the ceiling. A huge wooden framed mirror, complementing the red wall, opens up the room.

Local Farm Vegetables - 10
We started off with a plate of local farm vegetables. On the plate was an enjoyable mix of squash, swiss chard with a grating of parmesan that was lightly dressed, and a mixture of bell pepper, onions, and eggplant?? I enjoyed the natural sweetness of the squash. The swiss chard was equally as good with the parmesan adding a nice element of saltiness to the swiss chard. I didn't care too much for the mixture of onions bell peppers and eggplant.

Desert Sweet Shrimp - 9
A very simple plating of shrimp that was very lightly seasoned to allow the natural flavors of the shrimp to shine. The flavors of the shrimp were fresh and clean, but I would have appreciated if there was more seasoning to take the shrimp to another level.

Bavette al Cedro - lemon, Italian butter, Parmigiano -11
This dish tasted just like the description. I tasted a lot of lemon, some butter, and a bit of parmigiano. The lemon on this dish overwhelmed the other flavors and I felt like there wasn't enough salt or parmigiano to counter the acidity of the lemon. The texture of the pasta was wonderful, but some flavors were muted while others were too prominent.

Fettuccini e Finocchio - fennel pesto, raisins, pine nuts, hot peppers, lemon, anchovy - 14

Reading the description of the dish, I thought there would be tons of flavor and when the dish was brought out by the server, I still had the same assumption. Looks can be deceiving. For me this dish had nice texture with the bread crumbs, pine nuts, raisins, and the texture of the pasta, but lacked the herby flavor associated with pesto and some good ole salt. This is my first time having a fennel pesto as opposed to a basil one. Maybe fennel pesto is a much more subdued pesto. Not sure, but didn't care for this dish much.

Orecchiette alla Puttanesca…12 ingredients from the Neapolitan streetwalker’s pantry - 15

A streetwalker's pantry? Is a streetwalker the same as a night walker? Someone paid for "services"? I guess that in Italy there are 12 ingredients that everyone of these people happen to have in their pantry. I don't remember what the 12 ingredients were but, here are a few that I can see from the picture and remember eating: breadcrumbs, pine nuts, olives, raisins, pasta, anchovy, and quite a few others. The 12 ingredient description had me intrigued. I thought this dish was one of the better dishes we had at PastaBAR. Nothing outstanding or something I am looking forward to eating again but good. I enjoyed the amalgam of flavors with sweetness of the raisins, saltiness of the olives, and the textural differences.

Gnocchi alla Lupa...sweet and spicy fennel sausage ragu - 15

The winner by far for the night was the gnocchi! PastaBAR's version is made with ricotta cheese as opposed to the potato version. These gnocchi were like canadian goose down pillowly light or like little pillows of clouds. The ragu perfectly complemented the gnocchi with the slightly sweet and slightly spicy flavors of the tomato sauce.

"The best way to make a quality product is to Infuse quality at every chance." I do believe this statement to be true for 100% of things in the world we live in. Does this always translate to a wonderful product or experience? Not, in our experience of PastaBAR. Although there were a few good dishes we enjoyed most were just just average.

Lo - Lo's Chicken and Waffles

2010-02-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

2765 N Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85257
480.945.1920

www.loloschickenandwaffles.com

In one corner we have Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles and in the other corner we have Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.... California versus Arizona..... Los Angeles versus Phoenix..... The battle of the chicken and waffles looms...... I wish I could do a side by side comparison. Unfortunately, I haven't eaten Roscoe's for about 5 years now and don't remember too much about it. Sorry to set-up the battle and not have it actually happen.

I feel that ambiance and location influences are things that one's mind takes into account when eating somewhere. For some reason eating at a place with character adds to the meal. Purely due to logistics, we ended up going to Lo-Lo's in Scottsdale instead of the original Phoenix location. Really wanted to go to the Phoenix location because I heard that was the original and had a lot homier feeling than the strip mall Scottsdale location.

Lo-Lo's Famous Soul Food Platter - 13
Included in this platter were 3 pieces of chicken Southern fried or smothered in gravy and onions or two pieces of Catfish or Lo-Lo's red fish (cod) w/ 2 sides orders and cornbread. We went with the Southern Fried Chicken with the waffle and mac & cheese as the sides.

The waffle is freshly made upon order. I thought the waffle was good, but not great. It wasn't as fluffy and light as I would like it to be. The waffle we had at Matt's was in my opinion a lot better.

The chicken was nicely breaded and nicely seasoned, but once again, it wasn't anything that I thought was out of the ordinary. Again, it was good, but not great. When the chicken and the waffles were eaten together, though, it helped bump up the flavor a bit with the sweetness of the waffles and the savoriness of the chicken coming together.

The one dish that I really enjoyed was the Mac & Cheese. Extra cheesy and gooey. And the flavor of the cheese was really evident. One of the better mac & cheeses I have tasted in a while.

Overall, we thought that Lo-Lo's was good, but in my opinion, not something I would make a special trip for. Maybe it was because the Scottsdale location didn't have that soulful, backyard feel. Perhaps my expectations of eating chicken and waffles were too high, when in reality it was really just a plate of chicken and a plate of waffles.

St. Francis - Phoenix, Arizona

2010-02-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

111 East Camelback Road
Phoenix, AZ 85012
602.200.8111
www.stfrancisaz.com

I really didn't do too much research prior to selecting St. Francis as one of our meals while in Phoenix. But I got a recommendation from someone on Chowhound, checked out the menu online, and heard it was in a restored bank and the menu looked very reasonably priced.

Aaron Chamberlin is the owner/chef of the St. Francis restaurant. I was surprised to find out that Chef Chamberlin has worked for an impressive number of chefs and restaurants in his career including Jean-Georges Vongerichten of the NY restaurant empire, Michel Richard of Washington DC restaurants, and Nancy Oakes of Boulevard in SF.

Chef Chamberlin's goal was to create a restaurant that feels like a home away from home and a community gathering spot. The restaurant strives to serve seasonal American food that is simple, honest, and a has good value. We'll see if the restaurant reaches those goals.

A lot of thought and consideration went into the remodeling of the space for St. Francis. The space definitely has a modern yet rustic and homey, hip feel to it. The waiter informed us that this space was once a bank, a doctor's office, and a few other things.

Pictured here is a Market List that lists different seasons of the year and what vegetables and fruits are in season. An excellent reminder and commitment from the restaurant that only seasonal vegetables and fruits at their prime will be used for your meal.

Almond Margarita and Prickly Ricky
Fortunately, we arrived to St. Francis at the right time. Cocktail Hour!! Served from 4-6pm everyday. All mixed drinks were $5 and all beers $3. A nice and condensed list of about 6 cocktails and various bottled and draught beers.

Baked goat cheese, tomato, walnut herb pesto and toasted bread - 8
This appetizer was an excellent beginning to our meal. Here we have a ramekin filled with goat cheese, tomatoes, and walnut herb pesto that is then baked to get it nice and hot. Really enjoyed this starter. The tang and creaminess of the goat cheese and the sweetness and tang of the tomatoes coupled with the herbaciousness (is that a word?) of the pesto was great.

Pumpkin Soup with apples and creme fraiche - 6
This soup was velvety smooth and the natural sweetness of the pumpkin was really evident. I liked the fact that apples were added to give this soup some flavor contrast with the sweetness and tartness of the apple. I felt this soup was a bit too salty but enjoyed it regardless.

Roasted Pork Chop, fresh corn polenta, sweet peppers and whole grain mustard sauce - 19
I have never in my life eaten a pork chop that was so succulent, tender, and juicy. Having prior experience with Kurobuta pork at Spago in L.A. and Nob Hill in L.V., there was no comparison. The pork as St. Francis was vastly superior to the versions I have had at other places. The corn polenta absorbed the jus of the pork and the whole grain mustard sauce, elevating the polenta to an even tastier stratosphere. My favorite dish of the night. Checkout the Laguiole cutlery in the picture, excellent choice of cutlery. It's the nice little touches like this that make St. Francis special.

Seafood soup with shrimps, mussels, clams, fish, and aromatic vegetables - 19
What kind of food blogger would I be if I didn't eat seafood? An incomplete one. Luckily, I have a wife that loves seafood, now I am a complete food blogger again. Here is what she recalls from this dish. Beautifully presented dish in the clay pot with with the herbs and seafood strategically strewn throughout. Seafood in the dish were nicely cooked, but the broth was too salty, overwhelming the flavors of the seafood.

Proof that this building was at one point a bank. Located right next to the women's toilet bowl. Nice toilet paper holder don't you think?

Is St. Francis a home away from home? The restaurant has a modern and yet rustic feel to it, yet it still manages to feel homey. The restaurant stays true to its original goals of simple, honest, and good value. On this particular night we had some dishes that were great and others that were good. (Due to some heavy handed salting.) Regardless, we still had an overall good meal and enjoyed the experience.

Elote Cafe - Sedona, Arizona

2010-01-31T21:50:00.000-08:00

771 HWY 179

Sedona, AZ 86339
928.203.0105
www.elotecafe.com

What to do in Arizona???? Sedona always comes across one's mind for a beautiful and very scenic day trip or an overnight stay. After consulting various sources of where to eat, the consensus seemed to be Elote Cafe. Elote Cafe serves Mexican food that Chef Jeff Smedstad has learned in his travels throughout Mexico. The restaurant focuses on fresh, local, and sustainable. Always a plus!!!

Chips and salsa
The chips were nicely salted and were pretty standard. The salsa on the other hand, although fresh was severely under-spiced. I found myself dousing this salsa with the hot sauce provided on the table.

Elote - Fire roasted corn with spicy mayo, lime and cotija cheese - 6.50
This dish reminded me of those Mexican corn cart vendors. These vendors roam around the streets, selling corn on the cob with all the fixin's you could desire. The same components are used in these carts as Elote's version, but instead Elote's is off the cob. The mayo and the cotija cheese impart a creaminess to this dish, while those same components with the lime give off an acidic tang and saltiness. With the sweetness of the corn and the tang, saltiness, and creaminess, all the components came together to create a tasty dish.

Cuitlacoche - Corn Soup - sweet corn and Mexican corn truffle soup - 8
This was one of my favorite courses of the night. The soup was silky and smooth and tasted of real corn and with the addition of truffle, which was definitely present, was just the right touch to make this soup even more luxurious. I wanted to pick up my plate and lick it clean.

Carne Asada - Grilled Vintage Farms skirt steak with guajillo sauce, Shaft blue cheese, avocado and rajas - 18.50
Blue cheese lovers rejoice!!! This is the dish for you!! I, unfortunately, like blue cheese, but don't love it. The Vintage Farms skirt steak was nicely grilled and tender for skirt steak. The avocados and the blue cheese added a creaminess that helped to balance out the spice of the guajillo sauce and the pico de gallo. I enjoyed this dish but could definitely see a blue cheese lover loving this dish.

Pepita Snapper - pumpkin seed crusted wild pacific snapper with roasted corn salsa pumpkin seed crema with guacamole - 18
The other winner of the night was the pepita crusted snapper. As opposed to the usual breading of flour or bread crumbs, the chef used pepita seeds to encrust this beautiful piece of snapper. Despite either being pan-fried or deep fried, this dish still felt light. The use of various textures and flavors really pleased the palate. I loved the creaminess of the guacamole, the freshness, spice, and sweetness of the corn salsa, and flavor of the pumpkin seed crema. Loved every aspect of this dish.

Puerco en Cascabel - slow roasted all natural pork w/ cascabel sauce & homeade queso oaxaca - 17
A couple friends were with us at Elote Cafe and here is one of there dishes. Had a taste of it, but don't remember much about it.

Carnitas - slow roasted all natural pork served with guacamole, pico de gallo and arbol salsa - 17
Another picture from a friend's dish. Can't comment on this dish either.

Rice and Beans
Usually not a big fan of rice and beans, I actually enjoyed these quite a big. A perfect complement to the various dishes we had for dinner.

For all my readers out there. The whole 2 of you out there (this would be including myself). See if you can figure out this riddle? Figure it out yet??? Answer down below.

I'll give you a hint if you haven't figured it out yet. It has to do with the name of the restaurant. Translate the name of the restaurant to English and you shall have your answer and a high five from me.

When in Sedona, go to Elote Cafe. Simple as that. I am usually against eating Mexican cuisine that is priced higher than $5 to $10, because most of the time I usually don't find the food worth paying more than that and I can easily get a cheap Mexican meal. Elote Cafe is the exception to past experiences. Fresh, seasonal, inventive, and delicious. This is definitely the place to go to when in Sedona.

Matt's Big Breakfast - Phoenix, Arizona

2010-01-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

801 North 1st Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004-2013
602.254.1074

www.mattsbigbreakfast.com

Matt's Big Breakfast motto is "food tastes better when prepared simply with better ingredients." I think that Matt and his crew are on to something here. The restaurant uses only cage-free eggs from humanely raised chickens, grain-fed natural Iowa pork, Angus beef, and local and organic produce. An interesting fact that I learned was that Matt's doesn't have a freezer or a microwave! Sounds like we're off to a good start.

Matt's Big Breakfast is actually not big at all - a small place as a matter of fact. The restaurant is housed in a one-story brick building. We arrived on a Saturday around noon and were greeted with a long line of people who had the same goal in mind. Good Food!!! The wait was about 30-40 minutes, which wasn't too bad. Thankfully, there was a farmers market going on down the street that occupied our time.

Coffee and fresh pressed apple juice

Whole grain toast with homemade local strawberry preserve - complimentary
Each piece of toast comes from an uncut whole loaf of bread that is cut upon order. The strawberry preserve had wonderful true flavor of strawberries that wasn't overly sweet.

Three meat scramble with fresh jalapenos, hash browns and tortilla. This dish had so much flavor with the addition of the chorizo, jalapenos and cheese. The combination of these three elements really melded so well together. I can see why this is a classic Mexican food pairing. The hash browns at Matt's are perfectly browned on the top and bottom to an excellent crisp, while the inside is simultaneously soft. Part of the reason why the potatoes and most items taste so good is they use real butter for everything.

Waffle - Big homemade Belgian style waffle, sweet cream butter, and real maple syrup with two thick cut bacon slices.
I only tried a piece of this Belgian style waffle and it was excellent. The waffle was perfectly cooked, and it was light and fluffy. Real maple syrup as opposed to Aunt Jemima, nothing against Aunt Jemima. I was raised on that stuff, but I'll take real maple syrup any day.

The Chop and Chick - two eggs and a skillet seared Iowa pork rib chop.
These eggs were perfectly cooked to a specific over easy, real easy. I also opted for the home fries instead of the hash browns. The homes fries had a bit too much of rosemary flavor (must be the use of fresh rosemary). Next time, I would go with the hash browns. But the pièce de résistance was the Iowa pork rib chop. This rib chop is first marinated for at least 3 hours in a homemade pesto sauce and then cooked to perfection. The rib chop ended up being juicy and still tender. I enjoyed this dish quite a bit!

Hog and Chick - Two eggs any style and off the bone ham.
Another order that I only had a taste of was the off the bone ham. Forget Honeybaked Ham and all those Oscar Mayer hams - this is what ham is supposed to be like. This was a piece of thick cut ham that was unexpectedly tender and full of that salty, meaty, and hamy flavor.

The restaurant looks and runs as though it has been in business for 50+ years when in reality the restaurant has only been around for a little over 5 years. Matt's Big Breakfast has made big strides within the five years that it has been around. After eating at Matt's, I have to agree that food does taste better when prepared simply and with good ingredients.

Four Peaks Brewery - Tempe, Arizona

2010-01-17T10:57:00.000-08:00

1340 East 8th Street

Tempe, AZ 85281-4396

480.303.9967

www.fourpeaks.com

Housed in what was once an ice plant, creamery, and warehouse that was built originally built in 1892, Four Peaks Brewery is a favorite amongst ASU students and beer lovers. Our original plans when we arrived into Phoenix (thanks to Southwest $25 deal) was to go to the highly lauded Pizzeria Bianco. I was so looking forward to trying out the pizza here, but unfortunately there was a delay in our flight. By the time we arrived into Phoenix, we only had about 5 minutes to get to Pizzeria Bianco. The pizza gods were not smiling down on us. Like the good food itinerary planner that I am, I had a back up. Four Peaks Brewery here we come.

Pictured below is the inside of the restaurant with the exposed piping and ducts. This restaurant has ample seating in the outside and on the inside. As ample as the seating is, this place still gets packed.

Beer Sampler of 8 - 9 - Kiltlifter, 8th Street Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, Sunbru Kolsch Style Ale, Hop Knot IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Raj IPA, and Arizona Peach Ale

Not being much of a beer drinker, I actually found myself really enjoying this sampler of beers. Each beer was unique and distinct enough in flavor to distinguish from one another.

Brickhouse Wings - 8
After examining the menu while doing this write-up, I just realized that you can choose to have these wings flavored as buffalo, Oatmeal Stout BBQ, or Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce. Had I known, I probably would have sampled a few of each flavors. The wings were good, with a nice amount of meat and good buffalo, vinegary, spicy flavoring.

Spinach Artichoke Dip - 8.5
Creamy cheese blend with artichoke hearts, spinach, red peppers, and roasted garlic served with tri-color tortilla chips and grilled pita bread. I appreciated that they gave pita bread and chips to dip. Enjoyed this dip, but wasn't anything out the ordinary.

8th Street Ale Chicken Strips - 9
Strips of 8th Street Ale battered chicken breasts pieces served with beer battered fries. Take a look at the picture and marvel at the golden crispiness of these chicken strips. I may not be a gourmet food connoisseur or a connoisseur of many things, but I do claim to be a chicken strip connoisseur of all things. These were the best chicken strips I have ever had. Perfect amount of breading to meat ratio and the crisp of each strip was excellent. There was one strip left out of the two plates we ordered and we all eyed each other while we eyed this last chicken strip, as if to say go ahead see if you can snatch the last chicken strip before I do.

Also have to comment that the beer battered fries were excellent as well. The battering gave an extra crunch to these already crunchy spuds.

Although I was disappointed in the fact that we weren't able to try out Pizzeria Bianco on this trip, things actually worked out in the end. We all really enjoyed all the food and beers that we had at Four Peaks Brewery and definitely would come back for some more beer sampling and those chicken strips.

Nob Hill Tavern - Las Vegas

2010-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

MGM Grand - Las Vegas

702.891.7337

Nob Hill Tavern is just one of the many restaurants owned by Michael Mina. According to their website, this restaurant is a modern interpretation of American tavern fare. The restaurant's space and design are both nicely done, with private-looking booths as you walk in and a large dining area in the back of the restaurant.

Classic French Onion Soup, Gruyère Grilled Cheese

This was a deconstructed version of the classic French onion soup. Instead of a piece of bread in the soup and cheese to top it, they made a gruyere grilled cheese sandwich. One of the couples we went with ordered this dish, so I didn't get a chance to try it. I remember them saying they enjoyed it, but wasn't the best version they ever tasted. The best, they said, came from a small bistro in France.

Bay Shrimp "Louie", Little Gems, Avocado, Egg, Tomato, Spicy Louie Dressing
A simple and straightforward presentation of salad. This was yet another dish that I didn't try. The salad looked very fresh and appetizing.

Tasting of ham - in order from left to right: Italian ham? country ham, and jamon serrano

This was a trio of a tasting of hams. Initially tasting all three hams, I thought the one of the left was the tastiest of the three. After sampling each of the hams a few more times, I really started to enjoy and take note of the complexity of the jamon serrano. Supposedly the jamon serrano comes from white pigs as opposed to the jamon iberico which comes from black pigs.

House-Made Pâté
The house made pâté was served with buttered and toasted bread, some whole grain mustard, and cornichons. This was a coarser version of pâté but nonetheless very enjoyable.

Kurobuta Pork Chop - Braised Swiss Chard, Bacon Lardons, Toasted Farro Salad, Pork Jus

Having just eaten the kurobuta porch chop at Spago a month earlier, I wanted to try out Nob Hill's version. I am glad to say that I actually enjoyed this version better than Spago's. I didn't care so much for the toasted farro salad; I think I am just not a grain/farro person and maybe it just tastes too healthy. Although I enjoyed this kurobuta pork chop more than Spago's, this dish was just average/good for me. The pork wasn't as moist and tender as I expected. Lately, I have been striking out with the kurobuta.

Maine Lobster Pot Pie - Baby Vegetables, Truffle Cream

The couple that we dined with was really looking forward to the signature Lobster Pot Pie. As the waiter wheeled out a cart upon which a copper pot shrooming with a golden brown crust topping, we were all excited to see what would unfold next.

The waiter then expertly slices away the top of the crust and gently places the crust, which will now be the base upon which all the contents of the copper pot will rest upon and allow the juices and truffle cream to infuse with. As the waiter slices away the crust to unveil what mysterious treasure the copper pot holds, a bouquet of scents finds its way over towards our table. The essence of lobster!!

Here we have the final product plated and ready to be eaten!! After the build up of the presentation and the plating, our expectations were high. The couple that ordered the lobster pot pie thought the dish was just OK. Nicely cooked lobster and vegetables but the depth of flavor just wasn't there. Having high expectations for this dish, this dish didn't reach the mark.

American Kobe Burger - "Secret Sauce", Balsamic Onions
This burger was an attempt at a gourmet Big Mac. I really didn't find anything special or noteworthy about this burger. The special sauce was indeed similar to that of a Big Mac, and the lettuce was even shredded similar to that of a Big Mac. The burger ended up being overcooked to a medium-well as opposed to the requested medium-rare. When ordering a burger at a finer establishment, I expect something different, not a knock-off of a fast food chain.

Truffle Mac N' Cheese
An excellent example of a gourmet Mac N' Cheese. The truffle flavor was very evident but not overwhelmingly so. The porcini mushrooms added a nice earthy mushroom flavor to this dish.The pasta was more corkscrew shaped pasta as opposed to elbow macaroni.

Valrhona Manjari Chocolate Soufflé - Orange Marmalade, Vanilla Ice Cream

The souffle was not as light and fluffy as most souffles I have had. This one was a little more cakey-like. The outside of the souffle was sugar encrusted which added a nice texture contrast to the souffle. The Valrhona Manjari supposedly comes from the best beans from Madagascar. Didn't taste remarkably different than other other chocolate taste I have had in the past.

Overall, most of the dishes we had ranged from good to most being just average. To make matters worse, the restaurant seemed to be short staffed and, as a result, service suffered throughout our meal. Our waiter at times was nowhere to be seen and when seen, couldn't be flagged down. There are just too many restaurants in Las Vegas to take the opportunity to dine here again.

Spago - Beverly Hills

2009-12-31T00:52:00.000-08:00

176 North Canon Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 385-0880

www.wolfgangpuck.com

We took the opportunity to dine at Spago because of DineLA restaurant week. For the price of $44, you can get a 3 course meal at many of LA's finer dining establishments. Having heard fantastic things about Spago, we were eager to sample the finer side of Wolfgang Puck's cuisine.

Here are just some of the breads that we sampled.

Heirloom tomato soup - with fresh ricotta crouton, confit cherry tomatoes
I started with the Heirloom Tomato Soup. This was my favorite course of the night. The soup had the essence and flavor of just-picked tomatoes right from the garden. I would say that this was the best tomato soup I have had. I really enjoyed the ricotta crouton with confit cherry tomatoes and micro-greens. Enjoyed everything about this course.

Wild Mushroom Raviolini - wild field mushrooms and parmesan reggiano
Another excellent dish for any mushroom lover. This dish had an assortment of earthy mushrooms that really maintained their heavenly mushroom flavor. The ravioloni was nicely made and the parmesan reggiano added another dimension of flavor that complemented the mushrooms.

Pumpkin Agnolotti with mascarpone and reggiano (14)
Also available with the DineLA are a few supplements. Having heard great things about the corn agnolotti and how the flavors of corn really shine, we were disappointed to see that the corn had been replaced with pumpkin. Still, the waitress was really pushing this supplement, a little too pushy. And so we gave in. We were quite intrigued that the natural sweetness of the pumpkin really came out of this pumpkin agnolotti. Our waitress informed us that no sugar or sweeteners were added. Enjoyed this dish, though we weren't wowed by it.

Kurobuta Pork Chop - Pear-ginger compote, stir fried green beans, confit pork, Chinese 10 spice, port-licorice reduction
There were three choices for mains on this night. The choices were pork chop, cod, or a roasted chicken. Knowing we would order cod and thinking chicken might be too normal of a dish, I ended up going with the Kurobuta pork chop. I was hesitant to pick this dish because of the Asian flair, but interested because of the Kurobota pork chop. The pork chop wasn't as succulent and moist as I would have imagined it to be. I enjoyed the pear ginger compote and thought it went well with the saltier aspects of the dish. Didn't care so much for the stir fried green beans and other Asian accented components to the dish though.

Pan-Roasted Basco Bay Cod - puree and ragout of gigante and cranberry beans, pancetta, wild mushrooms, and mascarpone emulsion
I didn't thoroughly enjoy this dish as I should have because my taste buds were already overloaded by the wild mushroom flavors of the raviolini. So eating this dish wasn't as enjoyable. The cod, however, was nicely cooked with just the perfect outer crisp and soft inside. The rest of the ingredients made this dish quite bold by the intense mushroom flavors and slightly heavy textures, which drew away from the fish.

Apple Vol au Vent - carmelized braeburn apples, almond crumble, pear prosecco ice cream

This dessert was essentially a fancy apple pie. The puff pastry aspect of the dessert was the most layered and light puff pastry I have ever had. The almond crumble and the pear prosecco ice cream were enjoyable complements to this dish. Enjoyed this dessert, but wished there was a little more excitement to the dessert selection.

Chocolate purse - crispy crepe, warm chocolate ganache, port sauteed cherries and vanilla ice cream

This dessert was pretty much chocolate in a shell. This was a very difficult dessert to eat. I had to use a knife and fork to carefully break open up this purse and catch the little crisps before flying everywhere. Although the presentation was enticing, this dessert didn't have enough contrasting textures and flavors for me. This felt like a designated Dine LA dessert.

Spago focuses on seasonal ingredients and farm fresh produce. The emphasis was apparent in many of the dishes we sampled. The mushrooms truly tasted of mushrooms as opposed to many restaurants that advertise mushroom in the descriptions but nary a hint of mushroom flavor. Overall, we enjoyed our meal, but didn't love everything we had. I heard that the way to truly enjoy Spago is to get the tasting menu. Maybe someday we'll try that instead.

Old Vine Cafe - Costa Mesa

2009-12-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

2937 Bristol St # A102
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-545-1411
www.oldvinecafe.com

Located in the eco-friendly, hip, and cool CAMP retail center in Costa Mesa, Old Vine Cafe focuses on seasonal ingredients and an international cuisine style. Highly rated by OC Weekly, Yelp, and Chowhound polls, I wanted to eat here for quite some time. For some reason or another, I just never got around to eating here. Until now that is. My wife surprised me with a "happy hour" at OVC. This happy hour is a steal at $15 per person for 4 courses. Keep in mind the 4 courses as you read the post.

Included in the happy hour are complimentary chips and salsa. These crunchy chips were quite greasy and oily. Salsa was fresh and had a nice heat to it.

Seafood croquetas with Cajun jambalaya sauce
The seafood croquetas were nicely fried and the accompanying Cajun jambalaya sauce added a welcoming heat to this dish.

Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff
All natural beef tenderloins medallions and shitake mushrooms served over rice w/ cream demi glace
The beef tenderloins were indeed tender. I can't recall much about the cream demi glace. This dish was an overall good dish, but nothing too exciting since it had a very one note in its flavor.

Vermont Cheddar with dried figs, apricot, and cranberries
This is where things got a little strange on the service side. Having been told that there were 4 courses involved in our meal, we waited patiently for our last cheese course. Eventually, the waiter came by and dropped off the check to our table. My wife and I kind of looked at each other, telepathically saying "Didn't he say there were 4 courses?" I eventually got the waiter's attention and asked if there were 4 courses involved, to which he replied "yes." So, now we were thinking.. O.....K.....What the heck is going on here? The waiter then asks us if we were interested in it. Of course we are!!!! Why wouldn't we be???? Didn't actually say this to him. Just politely asked for the 4th course.

Having been really looking forward to eating at OVC and hearing great things about it, OVC did not meet my expectations. The food itself being OK and the service being OK to bad with the 4th course snafu. I don't know if can attribute it to the $15 happy hour and the courses served, but looking at the menu online, most of these dishes are ones that are served on the menu anyway. I might return one day to try out the one of the tasting menus. But I am definitely not in any rush.

French 75 - Laguna Beach

2009-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

1464 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Tel. 949.494.8444
http://www.culinaryadventures.com/restaurants/f75/

Once the original in the restaurant empire of David Wilhelm, ok maybe not an empire, but there were 4 French 75's at one point, as well as a few others in the empire. The empire has now dwindled down to 3 restaurants, and David Wilhelm's no longer "helming" the empire. Now all that is left is the original French 75 in Laguna Beach, Chimayo in Huntington Beach, and Savannah in Laguna Niguel. French 75 is housed in a 60 year old cottage located on PCH in Laguna Beach that emphasizes on French food with a contemporary twist.

Olive garlic butter with French bread. The olive garlic butter was a nice change from the regular butter. It had a pronounced olive and garlic flavor. The color was a bit standoffish for me, but I kept dipping my bread in it.

'Certified Cage Free' Hudson Valley Foie Gras (20) The nightly preparation included grilled peaches in a balsamic reduction. The lobe of foie gras rested upon a piece of toast and frisee. The foie was overcooked, which resulted in the texture not being as soft and smooth as we like it to be. The grilled peaches went well with the the foie, which is usually paired with a sweet component. Overall, due to the foie being overcooked, we felt this was an average dish.

Short Rib, Horseradish Mashed Potato, Charred Asparagus, Cipollini Jam, Braising Jus (26)

The short rib was braised, the mashed potato had a faint but present horseradish taste, and the asparagus was nicely charred. Eating the short rib by itself was good, but when eaten with the cipollini jam, really made this dish. The cipollini jam was sweet, yet it still retained that onion essence. I felt that the cipollini jam really elevated this dish.

Study of Shellfish Maine Lobster, Scallop, White Shrimp, Wilted Spinach, Himalayan Red Rice, MirinGlaze (33)
After studying this study of shellfish, I will now give you an presentation on it. The lobster and the shrimp were cooked perfectly, but the scallop wasn't as enjoyable. I'm not sure if it was the cooking of the scallop or the quality of the scallop. The thing that really stood out about this dish, and not in a good way, was that it was majorly over salted. The Himalayan red rice helped to reduce the salty taste but still felt the dish was too salty. Had it not been for this saltiness, the dish would have been a quite nice study.

With a mix of an average appetizer, a good main course, and an over-salted main course, we still had a overall positive experience. Out of all the other restaurants that were once a part of the empire, I can see why this restaurant is still around: mainly because of the location and because of the French food with a contemporary twist.

California Shabu Shabu (Fountain Valley)

2009-11-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

18908 Brookhurst Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714.963.8844
www.californiashabushabu.com

I am no Shabu Shabu connoisseur. But my go to place when I crave reasonably priced shabu shabu is California Shabu Shabu. They recently opened up a new location in Costa Mesa and there is usually a wait for both locations. In my opinion, though, the wait is worth it. Maybe sing a song or two at the karaoke studio next door or visit the Japanese market down the corridor. Either way, this is a must go-to place for my favorite shabu shabu place in OC. There are no actual tables but everyone sits at a U-shaped bar with everyone facing the middle and watching the workers do their thing.

Here's the plate of fresh veggies. We have here spinach, broccoli, napa cabbage, tofu, carrots, udon noodles, enoki mushrooms, seaweed, and green onions.

These savory dipping sauces make this meal magical. On the left is the sesame-based Goma sauce and to the right is the citrusy Ponzu sauce. Feel free to add your own mixture of scallions, daikon, radish and garlic to the sauces to your liking. I usually dip my meat in the goma, while using the ponzu for the vegetables. Actually, it's more like soaking the meat and vegetables in these sauces.

To add a little kick to it, ask for the hot drops. Taking out the eye dropper, the server will ask how many drops. If you are daring, try 2-3. I usually take one and that's enough to sting my tongue. They said some kid who is a regular takes about 7 drops. Some people can even do the whole line -- what is this? Crack?

For the beef shabu shabu dinner, there are 3 choices: Beef Shabu Shabu $13.99 for Regular and $16.99 for large, Prime Beef Shabu Shabu $16.99 for regular and $21.99 for large or the Kobe Beef Rib Eye $35.99. We've never tried the kobe beef (double the price) but we're satisfied with the others. Content with the regular Beef Shabu Shabu this is our go to selection. Pictured below is the beef shabu shabu.

Shabu Shabu actually means swish-swish as in, move your meat around a few times and the cooking is done.

Towards the end of our meal, they will offer a bowl with their dashi so that you can add the broth that you have been cooking your veggies and meat in. The broth, combined with the dashi, transforms into your second course - some wonderful udon soup. Make sure to save a few slices of beef and noodles to eat with the soup.

Voila! Another entree added to our shabu shabu. This is as comforting as the best chicken noodle soup.

There aren't many choices for shabu shabu in Orange County although there have be a few new ones popping up within the past few years. California Shabu Shabu may not be the most traditional and authentic version of Shabu Shabu that you may find in Tokyo, but for a fun cook yourself and fairly healthy meal, this is still our go-to Shabu Shabu spot!

Flour + Water - San Francisco

2009-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

2401 Harrison Street (Mission District)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel. 415.826.7000
www.flourandwater.com

Flour + Water is one of the new restaurants on the block in the Mission District and is getting high praise from food critics and bloggers. The restaurant focuses on the simplicity of ingredients, hence the name Flour + Water. Just like many of the other Mission District restaurants the style of the restaurant is definitely eclectic. I love that this restaurant has a very unpretentious, yet cool vibe to it.

The restaurant specializes in house made pasta (and who doesn't love house made pasta) and Neopolitan thin crust style pizzas that are baked for no more than 2 minutes at a blistery 427 degree centigrade. According to the website, this is approximately the same temperature as hell, but only heaven awaits as you enter these doors. The prices are definitely reasonable for the quality of ingredients and quality of food your are going to get.

Margherita Pizza with tomato, basil, fior di latte, and extra virgin olive oil (13)
Fresh out of the oven, piping hot, slightly crispy, yet soft crust are some words to describe my initial reaction to the pizza. The pizza has a beautiful crust that is slightly charred but with a fantastic chewy consistency and a wood imparted flavor. Pizza doesn't get any simpler but more satisfying than this.

Maltagliati with brown butter braised duck giblets (15)
At the first bite, it tasted a bit livery and I wasn't sure if I liked it because I never really had duck giblets in my pasta. It was just unexpected. But as I took my second bite, and then the third bite, I just couldn't get enough of it. I really just wanted to lick the whole plate. The freshly made pasta had a wonderful consistency that is only attained through fresh and not dried pasta. Included in this pasta dish was either pumpkin or squash bits that really lightened the dish that could have been too heavy.

Basil granite with late summer stone fruit and prosecco jelly (8)
While perusing the dessert menu, my eyes immediately darted towards this dessert. Basil? Love it..Stone fruit? Love it... Prosecco? Love it.. Did I love this dessert? No....Did I hate it? No... It was a light and refreshing dessert but didn't really taste the prosecco in the jelly and the basil granite was just so-so. Yet the concept was very interesting and unique.

I like what Flour + Water stands for with their simple approach to food without compromising flavors. There is something so satisfying about a great pizza and perfect pasta; this is my comfort food. The excellent food and the laid-back cool vibe is something I am definitely looking forward to returning to in the future.

Range - San Francisco

2009-10-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

842 Valencia Street (Mission District)

San Francisco, CA 94110

Tel.: 415.282.8283

www.rangesf.com

Owners: Husband and Wife: Phil and Cameron West

Range is located in the Mission District on a corner of a humble building across from a neighborhood park. Nothing fancy. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to distract one's attention from the carefully prepared seasonal dishes and lovely drink concoctions here at the one star Michelin restaurant.

We made reservations for the first seating at 5:30 p.m. (so that we could have a second dinner around 9 or so at Flour + Water). The place was empty, but it quickly filled up by 6 o' clock.

Known for their mixology, I ordered a Mr. White (9.50), which uses Pueblo Viejo Tequila and housemade strawberry-mint shrub with lime. The drink was smooth, tasty, and not too sweet. Delicious and refreshing.

I ordered the marinated mussels with shaved fennel, lucques olives and cherry tomatoes (12.50). This by far was the most heavenly. There were so many layers of flavors and textures that went so well together. The whole dish itself exuded lightness and freshness. The mussels were well cooked. The tomatoes were sweet. The dressing was sweet yet tangy at the same time. I absolutely loved this amazing salad. It was love at first bite.

Next, I ordered goat cheese and sorrel stuffed pasta with lime butter chives (13)

You could really taste the citrus component of the lime - it added a nice brightness to the dish. Otherwise, it would have been too rich. I had this as a main, but after eating the excellent fennel salad, this one was not at the same level. A bit disappointed, I craved the salad even more.

We then had the whiskey and brown sugar glazed pork ribs with a carrot salad (11.50)

The meat was very tender and was fall off the bone tender. The whiskey and brown sugar glaze was very good - not too sweet, just right. It was nice having the carrot slaw as it tempered the sweetness and saltiness with its citrus element. This dish was very well done. I could definitely eat a whole rack of these ribs.

Lastly, we had the pan roasted bavette steak with oven dried tomatoes, broccoli di ciccio, barley, and horseradish sauce (26). The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare. I liked the horseradish sauce with the meat. It was creamy and had a faint hint of the heat. I didn't like the barley too much. I don't think I'm much of a barley person. It tastes a bit too healthy and bland for me. The oven dried tomatoes added another flavor depth to the dish, but I don't remember too much of the broccoli. Overall, this dish is very enjoyable.

When my husband made reservations, he mentioned our anniversary. And at the end of our meal, they served as their complimentary dark chocolate squares with an anniversary candle. Very sweet!

This restaurant certainly earned its one Michelin star - thoughtful and delicious dishes as well as serving creative drinks. The service also was impeccable and very attentive. I would love to come back here and try other new dishes and see what the chef can create next.

Canteen - San Francisco

2009-10-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

817 Sutter Street (Nob Hill)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-8870
www.sfcanteen.com

We continued celebrating our 2nd year anniversary by taking a trip to our beloved second home, San Francisco. Our first meal was at Canteen, which is reminscent of a 60s diner in the South because of its retro decor, bar stools, vintage books, and its polished simplicity. It just has this unpretentious, homey and nostalgic feeling. And there are only 7 bar stools and 4 booths. Small, but quaint.

Two waitresses here run the show and they were so genuinely kind and down to earth. They served us the brioche rolls which were excellent! It tasted like a buttery croissant, without the flakiness.

For the amuse bouche, they brought out a small piece of smoked salmon with pepper over slices of honeydew. I was not very impressed by the presentation of it. It looked a bit sad. The smoked salmon had a nice flavor, but there was nothing here that excited my taste buds or amused my "bouche".

Lamb's Tongue Vinaigrette with butter beans and romesco (10.50)
The vinaigrette went well because it added another flavor dimension to it. I don't usually like beans, but it was well-cooked and smooth in texture. I loved the nutty, romesco sauce which consisted of red peppers, pistachio, parsley and "other stuff" say the waitress. The tongue itself had a rillette texture in a way and enjoyed the light and bright flavors of the lamb. It was a great way to start the meal.

Albacore with lobster sauce, eggplant puree, and peppers (23.50)
The seared albacore was cooked perfectly and was moist and tender. The dish was carefully prepared, and the buttery lobster sauce and puree tasted good on their own, but when I put it all together, the flavors just did not meld too well. It was sort of a "musky" taste. Plus, it was a bit overpowering for the delicately mild-flavored fish.

Pork Schnitzel with a poached egg (25)
We went with one of the waitress' favorite dish on this menu. Pork schnitzel is thinly pounded breaded pork cutlets and was topped with fresh arugula, poached eggs, arugula and paprika sauce. It was good dish with intense flavorings, but I expected more out of it.

We were served with the "Week 190" seasonal menu. But one of the timeless items that doesn't change is the "Vanilla Souffle since 2004" (8.50). They brought out the souffle and pierced it through with some kind of cream sauce. And since my husband had told them we were celebrating our anniversary when he made reservations, they brought out 2 complimentary glasses of champagne. What a special touch!

The great thing about seasonal menus is that you get to taste the chef's inventive creations using seasonal ingredients and artistic talent. So I will probably return one day. Plus, I also have read that they serve really good brunch, so I'll try that out too.

Sage on the Coast - Newport Coast

2009-10-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

7862 East Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92657
(949) 715-7243

www.sagerestaurant.com/SOC/

09.09.09 was our 2nd year anniversary and we wanted to celebrate it near the beach. Sage on the Coast is a fine local restaurant in the Crystal Cove Promenade plaza at the end of the strip. The atmosphere was friendly and not too pretentious as other Newport Beach restaurants. We made reservations for the Wednesday and was a bit embarrassed that we did because the place was pretty empty. There were only 2 tables occupied in the whole main dining area and a few more tables in the patio. But I shouldn't complaint because sitting in the patio was romantic and private, especially with the lighting, which made our anniversary night special.

The bread basket had these delightful bread crisps that were dusted with Parmesan cheese and dried rosemary and tasted so delicious.

We each ordered the tasting menu which includes the 3 courses and a dessert for $35. For an extra $10, the tasting menu is paired with 3 glasses of wine. Good deal!

For the amuse bouche, we had Balsamic Grilled Peaches over arugula, onions, and walnuts. The dish was good, the arugula a bit soft and a little bit heavy on the dressing. There was nothing that particularly stood out. The peaches were served warm, reminding me of comfort food in the winter. Eating these types of "salad" requires eating all of the different components at the same time for a worthy taste.
Wine: Roederer Estate, Brut (Anderson Valley, NV)

For the first course, I had the Blackened Sea Bass and Vegetable Enchiladas wth spinach, summer squash, mozzarella, grilled corn, tomatoes, parmesan, and guajillo sauce. The fish was moist and crisp on the outside. The roasted tomatoes on top of the enchilada added a nice juicy dimension to the it.
Wine: Merum, Monastrell (Jumilla, Spain 2006)

The chef kindly accommodated my non-seafood eating husband with the enchilada and pork crepe instead of the sea bass. The crepe tasted more like a barbeque pulled pork taco. The braised/pulled pork was encased with a "crepe" wrapping. The barbeque flavor was unexpected but he nevertheless enjoyed the dish overall.

As for the second course, we had the Grilled Sirloin Bruschetta which had tomatoes, arugula, burrata, and extra virgin olive oil. The crostini was very difficult to cut through with the knife and clamored many times against the plate. Sage uses market driven ingredients and we could taste it in the tomatoes because it was very fresh and tasty. The burrata was very creamy, but the meat itself was a bit overcooked. I kind of felt the courses were out of order. This light tasting bruschetta should have been served before the more heavy flavors of the enchilada.
Wine: Allegrini, Palazzo della Torre (Veronese, Italy 2005)

For dessert, we had a Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake which had raspberry coulis, sweet cream, and an almond florentine on top. This was a good version of a cheesecake - very smooth and creamy. I was happy for the raspberry coulis because it added more flavor to it, and the almond florentine had a nice crisp that added texture to the overall dessert.

Sage on the Coast is a nice getaway from the nearby crowded and noisy restaurants. It's secluded enough for people to enjoy a serene evening right next to the beach (though it could be a different story on the weekends). The food was good, and I like the fact that they use seasonal ingredients. We enjoyed our experience, especially with the $35 tasting menu and an additional $10 for wine pairings. Worth a stop for a reasonably priced dinner, although nothing really too exciting.