Kate over at the Accidental Hedonist is doing everyone a great service and organizing the 2004 Food Blog Awards. So here is my shameless plea for you guys to go nominate me for stuff. Best Food Photography seems to be my best category... Anyway, go check it out, and help boost my insecure ego! Or vote for who you think is best. :P
Read MoreCalifornia Pizza Kitchen
Yes, I eat at chains too! California Pizza Kitchen is a place that I've ironically never been to in California, but have gone to a couple of times here in Boston. They can make a pretty decent pizza. This is an early dinner with Keith and Jackie at the Prudential location.
spinach & artichoke dip - $7.49
bbq chicken salad - $9.99
"white pizza" - mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, parmesan, pecorino romano, spinach, garlic & bacon - $11.49
"sicilian" - thin crust with italian sausage, capicola, salami, fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano & basil - $11.49
The spinach artichoke dip is really the reason we go back. That stuff is just so cheesy, creamy, and delicious. A lot of these chain-type places serve it, but I think CPK's version is the best. Plus... it's vegetables! :) The chicken salad is pretty good too, at least for a mass-produced type of salad. The chicken is acceptable, and I like the tortilla strips. The white pizza was way too heavy for me - the fontina and the ricotta really overpower everything. The sicilian is a pretty solid choice, but I think I prefer the normal crust they have to their thin crusts. Update - thanks to Jackie for the prices. Apparently she orders takeout from them a lot.
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spinach & artichoke dip - $7.49
bbq chicken salad - $9.99
"white pizza" - mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, parmesan, pecorino romano, spinach, garlic & bacon - $11.49
"sicilian" - thin crust with italian sausage, capicola, salami, fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano & basil - $11.49
The spinach artichoke dip is really the reason we go back. That stuff is just so cheesy, creamy, and delicious. A lot of these chain-type places serve it, but I think CPK's version is the best. Plus... it's vegetables! :) The chicken salad is pretty good too, at least for a mass-produced type of salad. The chicken is acceptable, and I like the tortilla strips. The white pizza was way too heavy for me - the fontina and the ricotta really overpower everything. The sicilian is a pretty solid choice, but I think I prefer the normal crust they have to their thin crusts. Update - thanks to Jackie for the prices. Apparently she orders takeout from them a lot.Nud Pob
So now it's back to Boston. I'm sure all of you love to see how a food-spoiled student living off-campus at BU eats... right? This year, you'll see some of the same, but also some new. First, some of the old: Nud Pob.
thai style egg noodles with ground pork, roast pork, fish balls, bean sprouts, chinese broccoli, peanuts - $7.15
This is a dish they only started serving some time in the summer, if I recall correctly. It's definitely a very interesting dish, as they put some sugar in it making the whole thing pretty sweet. The sugar matches well with the roast pork. It's not really something I could eat every day though. Of course, that's not a problem with all the other stuff I tend to order at Nud Pob.
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thai style egg noodles with ground pork, roast pork, fish balls, bean sprouts, chinese broccoli, peanuts - $7.15
This is a dish they only started serving some time in the summer, if I recall correctly. It's definitely a very interesting dish, as they put some sugar in it making the whole thing pretty sweet. The sugar matches well with the roast pork. It's not really something I could eat every day though. Of course, that's not a problem with all the other stuff I tend to order at Nud Pob.Cortez
Finally, my last set of photos from San Francisco! Cortez is the new small plates restaurant (the small plates thing sure is really really huge now) from the great people at Bay Bread. I really hope that Bay Bread doesn't get too big for its own good - I'd hate to see the quality decline. I like a lot of their places, such as Chez Nous and even more importantly Galette. Let's hope they can keep up their success. Val was in SF for as a stopover between Taiwan and Boston, so she joined my mom, Keith, and myself for dinner. Cortez came strongly recommended by Auntie Raphaela. The restaurant has a nice, modern and decidedly hip decor (though it doesn't come close to Frisson). I actually recognized that they were playing Thievery Corporation as we sat down, giving the place a cool loungey feel.
"today's crudo" - marinated hamachi
warm summer salad of sweet corn raviolinis, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas & herbed zucchini pur�e - $9
fries with harissa & zaatar spiced aioli - $6
A solid set of appetizers. There are a lot of interesting sounding things on the menu, so it was hard to choose. The hamachi was good - fish was high quality, though nothing special compared to a good sushi joint. It did have a markedly different taste than what you'd expect eating sashimi thanks to the aioli dressing/marinade on it, so it had its own unique twist. The raviolinis were excellent - every ingredient was fresh and bursting with flavor. The peas were particularly crisp and refreshing. Everyone (my mom especially) loved this one. The fries were very good, and are definitely inspired by (probably copied from) the fries over at Chez Nous. The harissa aioli (which they also use at Chez Nous) was the better of the two sauces.
slow baked wild salmon with manila clams, roasted chiodini mushrooms & garlic clam foam - $14
prawns a la plancha with basque pimentos, lemon garlic butter & creamy crab rice - $11
slow cooked chicken breast with gnocchi & chanterell ragu, parsnip pur�e & creamed scallions - $14
Again, good stuff overall. I liked that the salmon was cooked quite rare, giving it a smooth and fatty texture. I think the dish overdoes it a little though on the clams, and the two different flavors end up clashing a bit. The prawns were huge and meaty - a real plus in my book, and matched well with the lemony sauce. The crab rice tasted good, but was slightly too al dente for my taste. The chicken with gnocchi was the class of this group. The chicken was unbelievably tender (it's all breast meat!) and the gnocchi were the perfect starchy complement. Although, I'd have been happy eating either just the chicken or the gnocchi too - both parts of this dish would be strong enough to stand on their own. Really a great combination.
chocolate ginger milkshake shots - $4 for 2
sugar & spice beignets, vahlrona chocolate fondue - $9
The milkshake shots were hard to resist. They're literally shot glasses (okay, maybe double shots), and the flavor changes every day. It's gimmicky, no doubt about it, but fun I guess. I think I would have liked them better if they were just chocolate... I guess I'm a purist like that. The beignets were good but not as good as Piperade's. In retrospect it was a mistake ordering two "spicy" desserts. I've realized I don't really like ginger and whatnot in desserts very much. Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The raviolinis and the chicken were very memorable, and there's a lot of other stuff I want to try on the menu. Not to mention it was my last meal in SF before another long Boston semester...
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"today's crudo" - marinated hamachi
warm summer salad of sweet corn raviolinis, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas & herbed zucchini pur�e - $9
fries with harissa & zaatar spiced aioli - $6
A solid set of appetizers. There are a lot of interesting sounding things on the menu, so it was hard to choose. The hamachi was good - fish was high quality, though nothing special compared to a good sushi joint. It did have a markedly different taste than what you'd expect eating sashimi thanks to the aioli dressing/marinade on it, so it had its own unique twist. The raviolinis were excellent - every ingredient was fresh and bursting with flavor. The peas were particularly crisp and refreshing. Everyone (my mom especially) loved this one. The fries were very good, and are definitely inspired by (probably copied from) the fries over at Chez Nous. The harissa aioli (which they also use at Chez Nous) was the better of the two sauces.
slow baked wild salmon with manila clams, roasted chiodini mushrooms & garlic clam foam - $14
prawns a la plancha with basque pimentos, lemon garlic butter & creamy crab rice - $11
slow cooked chicken breast with gnocchi & chanterell ragu, parsnip pur�e & creamed scallions - $14
Again, good stuff overall. I liked that the salmon was cooked quite rare, giving it a smooth and fatty texture. I think the dish overdoes it a little though on the clams, and the two different flavors end up clashing a bit. The prawns were huge and meaty - a real plus in my book, and matched well with the lemony sauce. The crab rice tasted good, but was slightly too al dente for my taste. The chicken with gnocchi was the class of this group. The chicken was unbelievably tender (it's all breast meat!) and the gnocchi were the perfect starchy complement. Although, I'd have been happy eating either just the chicken or the gnocchi too - both parts of this dish would be strong enough to stand on their own. Really a great combination.
chocolate ginger milkshake shots - $4 for 2
sugar & spice beignets, vahlrona chocolate fondue - $9
The milkshake shots were hard to resist. They're literally shot glasses (okay, maybe double shots), and the flavor changes every day. It's gimmicky, no doubt about it, but fun I guess. I think I would have liked them better if they were just chocolate... I guess I'm a purist like that. The beignets were good but not as good as Piperade's. In retrospect it was a mistake ordering two "spicy" desserts. I've realized I don't really like ginger and whatnot in desserts very much. Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The raviolinis and the chicken were very memorable, and there's a lot of other stuff I want to try on the menu. Not to mention it was my last meal in SF before another long Boston semester...Piperade
This is Piperade, a fairly new Basque place literally 3 blocks from my building in SF. Keith was in town for a couple of days between coming back from the Philippines and going back to school, so he came along with my dad and I for lunch. I got really excited about the place after seeing rave reviews for it just about everywhere, and especially after reading about Anthony Bourdain's experiences in San Sebastian in his book A Cook's Tour. That really gave me a craving for some Basque food. Piperade did not disappoint.
bacalao fritters with piment�n aioli - $9
artisan foie gras sauteed with monterey squid, grapes and verjus - $17
garlic soup with rock shrimp, bacon, bread and egg - $8.5
We ate everything family style. Let me say, each of these dishes were excellent. Bacalao is salt cod, one of the staple items in Basque cuisine. These were little balls of heaven... perfectly fried with a delicious "filling" if you could call it that. The aioli was addictive and a wonderful complement to the fish. I think I could eat a whole plate of these myself. The foie gras and squid was superb. Foie gras and squid - sounds like a strange combination doesn't it? We thought so too, so of course we had to give it a try. I'm usually the type that prefers my squid fried, but in this case it was different. Simply put, this is one of the best squid dishes I've ever had. The squid was amazingly tender and bursting with flavor. A big chunk of foie gras is buried underneath there - not like a tiny appetizer foie gras as is commonly found, but a real slab of the stuff that you have to cut like a piece of meat. Taking a bite of everything at once creates a delicious combination. The taste of the foie gras mixed with the sweetness of the grapes and the sauce plus the texture of the squid... it was absolutely fabulous. I really think this is one of the must try dishes in SF. Do not sleep on this. The garlic soup also definitely held its own with a very robust and earthy flavor, much moreso than you expect when ordering "garlic soup." Simply fantastic.
pip�rade with saut�ed serrano ham and poached egg - $15
atlantic cod 'a la plancha' with potatoes riojanas, chorizo, thyme and onion jus - $17
roasted niman ranch pork chop with braised cabbage and apple & onion marmalada - $18
orange blossom beignets - $7
Piperade, the restaurant's namesake, is another typical Basque dish, a stew-like mixture of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Very good as expected. A nice mixture of different flavors, and heartier than I thought it would be. The cod was less exciting, but did have a lot of ingredients going on as you can tell. The fish was very nicely cooked and the treasure trove of potatoes, chorizo and onions underneath was yummy. We ordered the pork chops per our waiter's recommendation and it came out very nice. Very tender pork (which is getting harder to find I think) accompanied by a pleasant but not overwhelming sweetness. Unfortunately the three of us were getting pretty full. The mains were all very good, but really it was the appetizers that made this place as memorable for me as it was. Anyway, we did want to try a bite of dessert, and the word "beignet" triggers a natural reflex in my system. It doesn't matter what the word before beignet is; I have to order it whatever the situation. I'm glad we tried them. They were hot, fluffy, not overly sweet (despite the sugar you can see), and slightly orange-y. All in all, it was a killer meal! I really want to go to San Sebastian.
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bacalao fritters with piment�n aioli - $9
artisan foie gras sauteed with monterey squid, grapes and verjus - $17
garlic soup with rock shrimp, bacon, bread and egg - $8.5
We ate everything family style. Let me say, each of these dishes were excellent. Bacalao is salt cod, one of the staple items in Basque cuisine. These were little balls of heaven... perfectly fried with a delicious "filling" if you could call it that. The aioli was addictive and a wonderful complement to the fish. I think I could eat a whole plate of these myself. The foie gras and squid was superb. Foie gras and squid - sounds like a strange combination doesn't it? We thought so too, so of course we had to give it a try. I'm usually the type that prefers my squid fried, but in this case it was different. Simply put, this is one of the best squid dishes I've ever had. The squid was amazingly tender and bursting with flavor. A big chunk of foie gras is buried underneath there - not like a tiny appetizer foie gras as is commonly found, but a real slab of the stuff that you have to cut like a piece of meat. Taking a bite of everything at once creates a delicious combination. The taste of the foie gras mixed with the sweetness of the grapes and the sauce plus the texture of the squid... it was absolutely fabulous. I really think this is one of the must try dishes in SF. Do not sleep on this. The garlic soup also definitely held its own with a very robust and earthy flavor, much moreso than you expect when ordering "garlic soup." Simply fantastic.
pip�rade with saut�ed serrano ham and poached egg - $15
atlantic cod 'a la plancha' with potatoes riojanas, chorizo, thyme and onion jus - $17
roasted niman ranch pork chop with braised cabbage and apple & onion marmalada - $18
orange blossom beignets - $7
Piperade, the restaurant's namesake, is another typical Basque dish, a stew-like mixture of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Very good as expected. A nice mixture of different flavors, and heartier than I thought it would be. The cod was less exciting, but did have a lot of ingredients going on as you can tell. The fish was very nicely cooked and the treasure trove of potatoes, chorizo and onions underneath was yummy. We ordered the pork chops per our waiter's recommendation and it came out very nice. Very tender pork (which is getting harder to find I think) accompanied by a pleasant but not overwhelming sweetness. Unfortunately the three of us were getting pretty full. The mains were all very good, but really it was the appetizers that made this place as memorable for me as it was. Anyway, we did want to try a bite of dessert, and the word "beignet" triggers a natural reflex in my system. It doesn't matter what the word before beignet is; I have to order it whatever the situation. I'm glad we tried them. They were hot, fluffy, not overly sweet (despite the sugar you can see), and slightly orange-y. All in all, it was a killer meal! I really want to go to San Sebastian.Picture Zoom
I'm trying something new again here at arthur hungry. I guess I've been in the update/upgrade mood recently. I've been looking for a way to implement some bigger images for a while now that's easy and doesn't suck up too much bandwidth. You should now be able to click the images and get a bigger popup version. Of course, remember that I do have high res versions of every picture (2592x1944), which are too big to put on the site. But should you ever want to use one for a wallpaper or... print it (heh) feel free to ask. Anyway, the ones you can click to now are 760x570... a little more than twice as big as what's on the front page. Note that this will only work with pictures from now on. To do it with the old posts, I have to manually edit every entry. Maybe I'll get around to it over winter break. Hope you like.
Read MoreZuni Cafe
My mom and I had a quick lunch at Zuni Cafe, one of San Francisco's staples. I hadn't been in a year or two. They're famous for their chicken (which is for two, so I can't get it with my vegetarian mom), and their burger. I've tried both in the past... The chicken is damn good, no doubt about it. The Zuni burger uses focaccia and errs on the fancier side. I don't like it as much as I like the ones at Mo's. So here's lunch at Zuni's, minus their two most famous items...
zuni caesar salad - $9
grilled hanger steak sandwich with roasted gypsy peppers, balsamic mayo, and watercress, green bean salad - $13.5
shoestring potatoes - $6
The caesar salad came out great. Crispy romaine with just the right kick in the dressing. Most importantly to me, they had big crunchy delicious croutons. Croutons just make or break a caesar if you ask me, and these were wonderful. The steak sandwich was a little odd. You may be asking yourself, where in between those two slices of bread is the steak? Well, it's there, it's just a really thinly-sliced layer. I wondered the same thing when the waiter dropped the plate in front of me. I'm the last person you'll find that would order a roasted peppers and watercress sandwich. So it is unfortunate that there isn't very much steak in the thing, because the sandwich was actually really good. The combo of the mayo, peppers, and watercress actually went really well with the steak. Double the amount of meat and it would have been a truly great sandwich. The green bean salad was also excellent... tender beans and tasty dressing. Sort of like what the Fog City Diner one was trying to be. The shoestring potatoes were huge. Nothing spectacular about em though; they taste the same as the ones you've all tried at a bunch of other places. Not bad, not good.
I've made a few updates to the navigation bar... I added a little box to update you guys about where I am, as people have been getting confused about why I'm posting stuff from San Francisco when I'm in Boston right now. The short answer is that I've been lazy and have let enough photos pile up for me to be late almost an entire semester. The bright side is that I've taken a sparse amount of photos since I've been back at school, mostly due to the fact that my diet has been consisting mostly of Cookin' Cafe delivery, Nud Pob, and other stuff that would be a bit repetitive to photograph. I should be caught up completely by Christmas. Also, I updated the list of links I've got up there.
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zuni caesar salad - $9
grilled hanger steak sandwich with roasted gypsy peppers, balsamic mayo, and watercress, green bean salad - $13.5
shoestring potatoes - $6
The caesar salad came out great. Crispy romaine with just the right kick in the dressing. Most importantly to me, they had big crunchy delicious croutons. Croutons just make or break a caesar if you ask me, and these were wonderful. The steak sandwich was a little odd. You may be asking yourself, where in between those two slices of bread is the steak? Well, it's there, it's just a really thinly-sliced layer. I wondered the same thing when the waiter dropped the plate in front of me. I'm the last person you'll find that would order a roasted peppers and watercress sandwich. So it is unfortunate that there isn't very much steak in the thing, because the sandwich was actually really good. The combo of the mayo, peppers, and watercress actually went really well with the steak. Double the amount of meat and it would have been a truly great sandwich. The green bean salad was also excellent... tender beans and tasty dressing. Sort of like what the Fog City Diner one was trying to be. The shoestring potatoes were huge. Nothing spectacular about em though; they taste the same as the ones you've all tried at a bunch of other places. Not bad, not good.
I've made a few updates to the navigation bar... I added a little box to update you guys about where I am, as people have been getting confused about why I'm posting stuff from San Francisco when I'm in Boston right now. The short answer is that I've been lazy and have let enough photos pile up for me to be late almost an entire semester. The bright side is that I've taken a sparse amount of photos since I've been back at school, mostly due to the fact that my diet has been consisting mostly of Cookin' Cafe delivery, Nud Pob, and other stuff that would be a bit repetitive to photograph. I should be caught up completely by Christmas. Also, I updated the list of links I've got up there.Frisson
Here is Frisson, a relatively new place also near my new home in SF. The chef is Daniel Patterson, formerly of the now defunct Elisabeth Daniel. The place has probably some of the most jaw-dropping decor you'll see in a while: orange ambient light, a dome-like ceiling, and some very wacky furniture. It's actually pretty interesting to see in person, but you can get an idea at their website (warning, there's music too which you can turn off). The bar area looks pretty cool too. Apparently they feature DJs, but there wasn't one there when I went with my dad. Anyway, here's the food.
cornmeal crusted foie gras, lavender, balsamico tradizionale - $15
seared sea scallops, bouillabaisse granit�, saffron oil - $12
black bass, braised lettuce, pork belly, litsea cubeba
sweetbread ravioli, black truffle - $16
These were the first and second courses... like at Quince, the menu is divided into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, sorta pressuring you into getting something from each category. Though looking at the menu now on the website, things may have changed to Large vs Small plates. The foie gras was very interesting. It was like a normal seared foie gras, but with a crunchy crust on the outside. I actually liked the concept a lot, but unfortunately it was just too salty. Fix that and it would be a great foie gras preparation. The scallops were also very interesting - the bouillabaisse granit� was literally granit�. In other words it was icy cold, and slowly melted on the hot scallops while I got through the dish. By the end it was a liquid sauce. Very tasty too; I liked this dish a lot. The bass was my dad's so I only had a bite, and it wasn't particularly memorable. The sweetbread ravioli was by far the best dish of the night. Can't see too much, but there's a few fairly large ravioli buried in that cappucino-like broth. The ravioli were plump and tasty, and the sauce had just enough truffle to give it that delicious truffle aroma.
coriander scented duck breast, escarole, huckleberry-olive emulsion - $17
venison loin, yuzu kosho, onion-pear pur�e, chinese broccoli - $18
roasted blood peach, lime sorbet, vanilla, fromage blanc - $10
Main dishes were just alright. Duck breast was okay, but again nothing particularly memorable. Venison isn't on too many menus, so I took the opportunity to order it... I like all things gamey. I liked it better than the duck. Very lean, but quite tender and juicy. We opted to share the blood peach dessert because it just sounded so interesting. It was pretty good, but to be honest, I don't even know which part of the dish was what. Overall I think the place had too high of a "ingredients I don't understand" quotient. What's litsea cubeba or yuzu kosho? I ate them and I still don't know. The servings were on the small side (except for the ravioli), and the place ends up being pretty pricey. Although, let me mention that I had a really good and refreshing fancy juice/tea thing from the bar. All the drinks are really expensive too though. Still, probably worth checking out the room and maybe grabbing a quick bite while enjoying the atmosphere. I'll let you decide if the place is trying too hard to be hip. Not the best place to go if you're looking for a big serious meal.
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cornmeal crusted foie gras, lavender, balsamico tradizionale - $15
seared sea scallops, bouillabaisse granit�, saffron oil - $12
black bass, braised lettuce, pork belly, litsea cubeba
sweetbread ravioli, black truffle - $16
These were the first and second courses... like at Quince, the menu is divided into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, sorta pressuring you into getting something from each category. Though looking at the menu now on the website, things may have changed to Large vs Small plates. The foie gras was very interesting. It was like a normal seared foie gras, but with a crunchy crust on the outside. I actually liked the concept a lot, but unfortunately it was just too salty. Fix that and it would be a great foie gras preparation. The scallops were also very interesting - the bouillabaisse granit� was literally granit�. In other words it was icy cold, and slowly melted on the hot scallops while I got through the dish. By the end it was a liquid sauce. Very tasty too; I liked this dish a lot. The bass was my dad's so I only had a bite, and it wasn't particularly memorable. The sweetbread ravioli was by far the best dish of the night. Can't see too much, but there's a few fairly large ravioli buried in that cappucino-like broth. The ravioli were plump and tasty, and the sauce had just enough truffle to give it that delicious truffle aroma.
coriander scented duck breast, escarole, huckleberry-olive emulsion - $17
venison loin, yuzu kosho, onion-pear pur�e, chinese broccoli - $18
roasted blood peach, lime sorbet, vanilla, fromage blanc - $10
Main dishes were just alright. Duck breast was okay, but again nothing particularly memorable. Venison isn't on too many menus, so I took the opportunity to order it... I like all things gamey. I liked it better than the duck. Very lean, but quite tender and juicy. We opted to share the blood peach dessert because it just sounded so interesting. It was pretty good, but to be honest, I don't even know which part of the dish was what. Overall I think the place had too high of a "ingredients I don't understand" quotient. What's litsea cubeba or yuzu kosho? I ate them and I still don't know. The servings were on the small side (except for the ravioli), and the place ends up being pretty pricey. Although, let me mention that I had a really good and refreshing fancy juice/tea thing from the bar. All the drinks are really expensive too though. Still, probably worth checking out the room and maybe grabbing a quick bite while enjoying the atmosphere. I'll let you decide if the place is trying too hard to be hip. Not the best place to go if you're looking for a big serious meal.Fog City Diner
It's definitely interesting moving to a new home. Suddenly, all the old neighborhood joints are on the other side of town, and you get a whole slew of new neighborhood joints to try out. I didn't have much time in SF, but I did my best to scour all the places that were within walking distance. One of the closest restaurants is the Fog City Diner. The place is one of those "landmark" restaurants (whatever that means), and I've read warnings of its tourist trap potential. It does feel a little odd having a tourist place a 2 minute walk away.
cayenne battered onion rings with housemade chili sauce - $6.5
sweet corn quesadilla with poblano chilis, huitlacoche and roasted tomato salsa - $7.95
chicken schnitzel with scalloped potatoes, blue lake beans and lemon caper butter - $15.95
The place hardly seems like a diner with the dark wood interior and plush booths. Then again I don't seem to know much about diners according to people I've met from NY/NJ and the rest of the east coast. In any case, the place definitely has a much more elegant feel to it than you'd expect from a diner. The food was not bad. Not specatacular, but I wouldn't condemn it as tourist garbage. The menu is pretty huge and there was lots of stuff I'd be willing to try. The onion rings were big, hot and crispy, but slightly on the greasy side. The quesadilla was a bit heavy on the cheese and a little light on the corn (especially for my mom's taste), but still pretty good. The chicken schnitzel was alright - good, but it sort of confirmed for me that veal really is the better meat for this type of dish.
The chicken was relatively tender and juicy, especially considering it was all white meat. The beans tasted like wannabe haricot verts, except big and not tender enough. The potatoes were okay, but perhaps baked ever so slightly too long. The french fries that the people next to us were eating looked very good, but I didn't get a chance to try them. Overall, the place is a solid choice for a wide menu with most things being at least pretty good. I thought Houston's was better (though more expensive) for a similar type of food. Fog City is worthy of a stop if you're nearby and want to grab a bite, but I wouldn't call it a landmark or a destination...
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cayenne battered onion rings with housemade chili sauce - $6.5
sweet corn quesadilla with poblano chilis, huitlacoche and roasted tomato salsa - $7.95
chicken schnitzel with scalloped potatoes, blue lake beans and lemon caper butter - $15.95
The place hardly seems like a diner with the dark wood interior and plush booths. Then again I don't seem to know much about diners according to people I've met from NY/NJ and the rest of the east coast. In any case, the place definitely has a much more elegant feel to it than you'd expect from a diner. The food was not bad. Not specatacular, but I wouldn't condemn it as tourist garbage. The menu is pretty huge and there was lots of stuff I'd be willing to try. The onion rings were big, hot and crispy, but slightly on the greasy side. The quesadilla was a bit heavy on the cheese and a little light on the corn (especially for my mom's taste), but still pretty good. The chicken schnitzel was alright - good, but it sort of confirmed for me that veal really is the better meat for this type of dish.
The chicken was relatively tender and juicy, especially considering it was all white meat. The beans tasted like wannabe haricot verts, except big and not tender enough. The potatoes were okay, but perhaps baked ever so slightly too long. The french fries that the people next to us were eating looked very good, but I didn't get a chance to try them. Overall, the place is a solid choice for a wide menu with most things being at least pretty good. I thought Houston's was better (though more expensive) for a similar type of food. Fog City is worthy of a stop if you're nearby and want to grab a bite, but I wouldn't call it a landmark or a destination...Comment System
I've revamped the comments system. Instead of using a popup window, comments are now part of the individual entry page. It now hides your email address so you have more privacy. I didn't realize it wasn't doing this correctly before, as I was just using the default code for Movable Type which showed your email (at least it had spam protect though). Sorry if you tried to comment in the past 12 hours or so and something weird happened. Everything should be working correctly now, so let me know if there are problems.
Read MoreQuince
Happy Turkey Day everyone. I'm staying in Boston during this break, so I probably won't be eating any Thanksgiving type stuff. I'm not a big turkey fan anyway. Continuing on with my archive of pictures from the summer... Here is Quince in SF, a relatively new place. The chef, Michael Tusk, won the "Rising Star" award from San Francisco Magazine in August. It replaced the Meetinghouse, which I thought was a very good brunch joint, and had the best biscuits I think I've ever had. I heard that bad business wasn't the cause of its closing, which doesn't surprise me. Too bad it's gone though. Anyway, Quince supposedly has some of the best pasta in the city.
local halibut tartare with lemon mustard dressing - $12.5
pappardelle with rabbit - $16
alaskan black cod with chanterelles and prosecco sauce - $25
scharffen berger cacao nib panna cotta with toasted pecans and chocolate wafers - $8.5
Very good meal. Did a good job considering how much hype this place has. This was another meal with my mom, Auntie Margie, Auntie Cathy, and the Chus. The Chus were able to book chef's table (sort of) - none of the regular tables can fit 8 people. We sat in the back in an area sort of between the dining room and the kitchen. We saw a lot of desserts being prepared next to us. Anyway, the food was really good. The tartare was one of the best tartare preparations I've had in recent memory. A hint of lemon and fresh fish made it a simple delight. The goldfish-shaped toast was a funny touch. The pappardelle was really excellent. There's just not enough to be said about freshly made pasta, and I don't see why they don't just do it in every Italian restaurant. It doesn't seem to take that much more work considering the reward. I had a bite of several different pastas on the menu and all of them were just great. All of them were simple preparations using simple sauces and not too many ingredients, which allows for the fresh pasta to really shine. The pappardelle I had was probably on the more elaborate side already. It was just a delicious simple ragu with very good pasta (it's all about the texture!).
The cod was just alright. Not bad at all, but a little underwhelming after the pasta. It was like many other fish dishes that you could get at a lot of places. The menu sort of pressures you into ordering 3 courses by dividing itself by using the headers "First Course Selections", "Second Course Selections", and, you guessed it, "Third Course Selections" (rather than Apps/Pastas/Mains or something like that). To be honest, when I return, I'll order an appetizer followed by 2 pastas. The place isn't cheap, and this would be more cost effective and probably result in a better meal. Oh yeah - I forgot to talk about the panna cotta, which was very good. The long cocoa name is I guess a fancy way of saying chocolate, which is fine by me... It had a very chocolatey flavor without being too sugary sweet, which to me should be the ultimate goal of any chocolate dessert. Nice, firm texture, and chilled to just the right temperature for it to even be a little refreshing. Great dessert.
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local halibut tartare with lemon mustard dressing - $12.5
pappardelle with rabbit - $16
alaskan black cod with chanterelles and prosecco sauce - $25
scharffen berger cacao nib panna cotta with toasted pecans and chocolate wafers - $8.5
Very good meal. Did a good job considering how much hype this place has. This was another meal with my mom, Auntie Margie, Auntie Cathy, and the Chus. The Chus were able to book chef's table (sort of) - none of the regular tables can fit 8 people. We sat in the back in an area sort of between the dining room and the kitchen. We saw a lot of desserts being prepared next to us. Anyway, the food was really good. The tartare was one of the best tartare preparations I've had in recent memory. A hint of lemon and fresh fish made it a simple delight. The goldfish-shaped toast was a funny touch. The pappardelle was really excellent. There's just not enough to be said about freshly made pasta, and I don't see why they don't just do it in every Italian restaurant. It doesn't seem to take that much more work considering the reward. I had a bite of several different pastas on the menu and all of them were just great. All of them were simple preparations using simple sauces and not too many ingredients, which allows for the fresh pasta to really shine. The pappardelle I had was probably on the more elaborate side already. It was just a delicious simple ragu with very good pasta (it's all about the texture!).
The cod was just alright. Not bad at all, but a little underwhelming after the pasta. It was like many other fish dishes that you could get at a lot of places. The menu sort of pressures you into ordering 3 courses by dividing itself by using the headers "First Course Selections", "Second Course Selections", and, you guessed it, "Third Course Selections" (rather than Apps/Pastas/Mains or something like that). To be honest, when I return, I'll order an appetizer followed by 2 pastas. The place isn't cheap, and this would be more cost effective and probably result in a better meal. Oh yeah - I forgot to talk about the panna cotta, which was very good. The long cocoa name is I guess a fancy way of saying chocolate, which is fine by me... It had a very chocolatey flavor without being too sugary sweet, which to me should be the ultimate goal of any chocolate dessert. Nice, firm texture, and chilled to just the right temperature for it to even be a little refreshing. Great dessert.Il Fornaio
I went to check out Il Fornaio at the Levi Strauss Plaza. It's officially the closest restaurant to our new place I think. It's been there forever but I hadn't been in a pretty long time.
fiori di zucchine - crispy baby zucchini and zucchini flowers, lightly breaded, spicy tomato-basil and balsamic parsley sauces - $8.95
tagliolini granchio e chiodini - housemade pasta, crab, chiodini mushrooms, trebbiano wine, garlic - $16.95
To be honest I was pretty disappointed overall. I got really excited when I saw zucchini flower on the menu, but these were just so so. I think the fact that they didn't have cheese inside like they usually do made them worse. They were on the greasy side and didn't have too much substance. The pasta was also so-so at best. The pasta was undercooked and the crab/mushroom didn't have enough flavor. The service was a bit slow too.
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fiori di zucchine - crispy baby zucchini and zucchini flowers, lightly breaded, spicy tomato-basil and balsamic parsley sauces - $8.95
tagliolini granchio e chiodini - housemade pasta, crab, chiodini mushrooms, trebbiano wine, garlic - $16.95
To be honest I was pretty disappointed overall. I got really excited when I saw zucchini flower on the menu, but these were just so so. I think the fact that they didn't have cheese inside like they usually do made them worse. They were on the greasy side and didn't have too much substance. The pasta was also so-so at best. The pasta was undercooked and the crab/mushroom didn't have enough flavor. The service was a bit slow too.In-N-Out Burger
Here is another fond memory of summer in San Francisco: In-N-Out Burger, which has somehow never made it onto my site before (despite the mass quantities I've consumed in my lifetime). This is from the Fisherman's Wharf one... we used to go to the ones in Marin and DC a lot too.
double double animal style (minus pickles), fries - $5
I'm blanking on the final price of the double double meal - the burger, fries, and drink, but it's $5 something. In high school this is something I knew to exact change. Animal style just means sauteed onions rather than raw, extra sauce, and pickles (but I hate pickles). So really I just do it for the onions. In-N-Out still holds the undisputed fast food burger crown, and there's no one even in the same ballpark. Can a puma challenge a lion for the throne of the jungle? The answer is no. I wish they had one on Comm Ave.
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double double animal style (minus pickles), fries - $5
I'm blanking on the final price of the double double meal - the burger, fries, and drink, but it's $5 something. In high school this is something I knew to exact change. Animal style just means sauteed onions rather than raw, extra sauce, and pickles (but I hate pickles). So really I just do it for the onions. In-N-Out still holds the undisputed fast food burger crown, and there's no one even in the same ballpark. Can a puma challenge a lion for the throne of the jungle? The answer is no. I wish they had one on Comm Ave.Baker Street Bistro
Ahrie visited the bay area for a little bit during the weeks before school, and I met up with her and Danielle for a day. Here's a dinner at Baker Street Bistro.
potato leek soup
beef cheek with parsnip puree
chocolate mousse
I hadn't been to this place for probably a couple years (before I went to college). Baker Street Bistro is the definition of a small neighborhood French joint: friendly, laid-back, reliable, and consistent. It's been around for a long time, and I must say it is probably one of the best values in the city. The 3 items I had were part of a prix fixe special for a mere $14.50. For a good proper 3 course dinner and excellent food, that kind of price is hard to beat. The soup was very solid, and I pretty much licked the bowl clean using some bread. The beef cheek was amazingly tender and flavorful, and the parsnip definitely added some kick. I kinda forgot what a parsnip was when I saw it. It must have been a long time since I've had it, but the horseradishy taste was a nice complement to the beef. The chocolate mousse was okay, but a little too sweet for my taste. Do note that the place is a great deal even when you order a la carte - most of the mains are around $11 or $12. For lunch, it's an even more amazing deal.
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potato leek soup
beef cheek with parsnip puree
chocolate mousse
I hadn't been to this place for probably a couple years (before I went to college). Baker Street Bistro is the definition of a small neighborhood French joint: friendly, laid-back, reliable, and consistent. It's been around for a long time, and I must say it is probably one of the best values in the city. The 3 items I had were part of a prix fixe special for a mere $14.50. For a good proper 3 course dinner and excellent food, that kind of price is hard to beat. The soup was very solid, and I pretty much licked the bowl clean using some bread. The beef cheek was amazingly tender and flavorful, and the parsnip definitely added some kick. I kinda forgot what a parsnip was when I saw it. It must have been a long time since I've had it, but the horseradishy taste was a nice complement to the beef. The chocolate mousse was okay, but a little too sweet for my taste. Do note that the place is a great deal even when you order a la carte - most of the mains are around $11 or $12. For lunch, it's an even more amazing deal.The Slanted Door
Well, it has officially started snowing here in the soon to be frozen tundra of Boston. But what better to make one think of sunny California than food pictures? Well, at least the food eaten during that sunny California weather... Here's another trip to the new Slanted Door, this time with my mom, Auntie Cathy, Auntie Margie and the Chus.
green papaya salad - $7
barbecued willis ranch pork ribs with honey-hoisin sauce - $10.50
spicy japanese eggplant - $9
pan-seared alaskan halibut with spicy ginger fish sauce - $19.50
grilled australian free range lamb rack with crispy potatoes and tamarind sauce - $26.50
mesquite-grilled porkchops with ginger-soy-shallot sauce and crispy potatoes - $18.50
Got to try a lot more different stuff on the menu this time, and it was pretty good. The papaya salad was very refreshing and tasty. Pork ribs were alright, but honestly didn't taste much different than your average bbq rib (which I guess isn't a bad thing). The eggplant was great - I think this place is really quite good at making use of seasonal fresh vegetables. All of the vegetable sides I've had have been wonderful. The halibut was good but not that memorable. The two meat dishes were massive. Personally, I preferred the porkchops. They were moist and tender, which is often a problem with huge porkchop dishes. I won't lie though - if I go back again, I'll get the shaking beef.
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green papaya salad - $7
barbecued willis ranch pork ribs with honey-hoisin sauce - $10.50
spicy japanese eggplant - $9
pan-seared alaskan halibut with spicy ginger fish sauce - $19.50
grilled australian free range lamb rack with crispy potatoes and tamarind sauce - $26.50
mesquite-grilled porkchops with ginger-soy-shallot sauce and crispy potatoes - $18.50
Got to try a lot more different stuff on the menu this time, and it was pretty good. The papaya salad was very refreshing and tasty. Pork ribs were alright, but honestly didn't taste much different than your average bbq rib (which I guess isn't a bad thing). The eggplant was great - I think this place is really quite good at making use of seasonal fresh vegetables. All of the vegetable sides I've had have been wonderful. The halibut was good but not that memorable. The two meat dishes were massive. Personally, I preferred the porkchops. They were moist and tender, which is often a problem with huge porkchop dishes. I won't lie though - if I go back again, I'll get the shaking beef.Mo's
I wasn't in SF for too long, but I of course had to make the requisite trip to Mo's.
alpine burger - sauteed mushrooms and gruyere - $7.75
Excellent as usual. This is truly one of the places you must hit if you go to San Francisco. I really have yet to have a burger anywhere that can beat Mo's. They grind their own meat and grill it perfectly. When you order it medium rare it actually comes bloody. And, to my complete surprise, the prices have actually gone down since the last time I went. The alpine burger used to be over $8. I also highly recommend the belly buster burger.
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alpine burger - sauteed mushrooms and gruyere - $7.75
Excellent as usual. This is truly one of the places you must hit if you go to San Francisco. I really have yet to have a burger anywhere that can beat Mo's. They grind their own meat and grill it perfectly. When you order it medium rare it actually comes bloody. And, to my complete surprise, the prices have actually gone down since the last time I went. The alpine burger used to be over $8. I also highly recommend the belly buster burger.Curbside Cafe
Here's the first meal I had in SF after getting back from Asia. I went to Curbside Cafe on California with my mom for brunch.
chorizo and eggs - $9
This place is pretty reliable for a decent breakfast. Chorizo and eggs is one of my favorite combos... it's the ideal sausage/egg since it has a slight hint of spice. The tortillas are corn but not totally fresh. Still, very addictive to go with the dish.
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chorizo and eggs - $9
This place is pretty reliable for a decent breakfast. Chorizo and eggs is one of my favorite combos... it's the ideal sausage/egg since it has a slight hint of spice. The tortillas are corn but not totally fresh. Still, very addictive to go with the dish.Delicious Delicious
Here is my final post from Hong Kong... wow, it took me like 2 months to post it all. Sorry for being slow. Anyway, this is from Delicious Delicious (gotta love that English name), a noodle shop across the street from Harbour City.
braised beef brisket
deep-fried fish skin
chinese broccoli
won ton noodle soup
A cheap, excellent meal... Of course, won ton noodles are a staple of cheap HK food. The beef brisket was tender and very tasty. Fried fish skin was comparable to the last one I had - crispy, fried, pure deliciousness. Chinese broccoli (I think that's the proper translation) was standard, but a necessary complement to the meal. Won ton noodles were great. The noodles were firm like they should be and wontons had plump filling. Can't get this stuff over here. Now, I'll be moving on to a good number of posts from when I was home in SF before school started. After that, the site will get less interesting again as I have gone back on the college delivery diet since I've been here in Boston...
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braised beef brisket
deep-fried fish skin
chinese broccoli
won ton noodle soup
A cheap, excellent meal... Of course, won ton noodles are a staple of cheap HK food. The beef brisket was tender and very tasty. Fried fish skin was comparable to the last one I had - crispy, fried, pure deliciousness. Chinese broccoli (I think that's the proper translation) was standard, but a necessary complement to the meal. Won ton noodles were great. The noodles were firm like they should be and wontons had plump filling. Can't get this stuff over here. Now, I'll be moving on to a good number of posts from when I was home in SF before school started. After that, the site will get less interesting again as I have gone back on the college delivery diet since I've been here in Boston...Che Family Cooking
Now this is something you can really only get in Hong Kong - Che-style home cooking. It can be mainly summed up with one key word: dumplings.
chicken with chili sauce
cucumber with scrambled egg
homemade pork dumplings
The main chef in the family is my Aunt Amy, with some help from my grandma (and dare I say a little help from my Aunt Agnes). Now don't let the picture fool you, there seemed to be an infinite number of dumplings. Full plates just kept on coming. Nonstop. And they're soooo good. Skin with perfect texture, delicious filling... better than in any restaurant. This stuff is the real deal; the picture probably doesn't do them justice. The chicken and the cucumber/egg were also tasty as a change of pace from the dumplings. Then again, I could probably just eat dumplings forever. Mmmmmmmmmm.
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chicken with chili sauce
cucumber with scrambled egg
homemade pork dumplings
The main chef in the family is my Aunt Amy, with some help from my grandma (and dare I say a little help from my Aunt Agnes). Now don't let the picture fool you, there seemed to be an infinite number of dumplings. Full plates just kept on coming. Nonstop. And they're soooo good. Skin with perfect texture, delicious filling... better than in any restaurant. This stuff is the real deal; the picture probably doesn't do them justice. The chicken and the cucumber/egg were also tasty as a change of pace from the dumplings. Then again, I could probably just eat dumplings forever. Mmmmmmmmmm.Macau Restaurant
We were unfortunately unable to make a day trip to Macau some time during our trip to Hong Kong like we had planned, so instead we settled for Macau Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. Macau was a Portuguese colony for a long time, and its food has some Portuguese influences. Macau Restaurant is an extremely casual cafe type place.
deep fried squab
shrimp toast
pork chop sandwich
portuguese style chicken
portuguese tart
The food was so so. The place has definitely gone downhill - I remember going years ago and it was much better. The squab was alright but nothing special. The sandwich was really disappointing - both bread and meat were just too dry. This used to be really good here. The shrimp toast was again nothing special. Portuguese style chicken is a common Macau dish... it's sort of like an extremely mild curry (as in, not spicy at all). Again, not as good as I remember... not enough actual meat. Portuguese tarts are like a relative of the usual Chinese egg custard tart, but more flaky and a little singed on the top. There was a huge craze for them in Hong Kong a few years back where there were tons of places making them fresh all over the streets, but the fad died out fast. These weren't that good, especially compared to the fad times. They were just sitting out too long before we ate them. All the food was pretty cheap. Maybe we should have gone to Macau though...
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deep fried squab
shrimp toast
pork chop sandwich
portuguese style chicken
portuguese tart
The food was so so. The place has definitely gone downhill - I remember going years ago and it was much better. The squab was alright but nothing special. The sandwich was really disappointing - both bread and meat were just too dry. This used to be really good here. The shrimp toast was again nothing special. Portuguese style chicken is a common Macau dish... it's sort of like an extremely mild curry (as in, not spicy at all). Again, not as good as I remember... not enough actual meat. Portuguese tarts are like a relative of the usual Chinese egg custard tart, but more flaky and a little singed on the top. There was a huge craze for them in Hong Kong a few years back where there were tons of places making them fresh all over the streets, but the fad died out fast. These weren't that good, especially compared to the fad times. They were just sitting out too long before we ate them. All the food was pretty cheap. Maybe we should have gone to Macau though...