EOE - EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EATER

Cute Streak

2010-08-16T02:08:00.001-04:00

Uber-cute, portion-controlled lunch. bacon and stir-fried Taiwanese bitter greens. looks great. feels hungry.

Organic tart frozen yogurt on a giant bed of shaved ice. strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, and mochi bits. BLUSH - Original Shaved Ice (Choice of four toppings included).

Cute may not be the right word, but it was free and delicious. RED RIBBON BAKESHOP - Pandan Macapuno Chiffon Cake.

Reflection: Cooking for the church crowd

2010-06-12T03:14:00.010-04:00

My first and only consistent experience cooking for large crowds has been for church luncheons. It's an example of service that I'm very glad to perform; after all, bringing smiles and full bellies to folks can give anyone the warm and fuzzies.

Nevertheless, it's an offering which always makes me a bit bashful. So many of the other seasoned "church moms" are so talented and well-practiced, that the kitchen standards they set seem impossibly high.

When I lived in Boston, the congregation was so small that I often times could prep and cook on my own. [Especially with the help of a miracle dishwasher.] Or at the very least, I could clearly see myself as the director of controlled chaos.

Since returning to the bay, I've gained the help of my mom as the other half of my cooking team. Mom is great. She's uber-conscientious about menu planning and prep work - This is especially useful since our congregation meets in a temporary space that lacks its own kitchen. She's always thinking twelve steps ahead about everything from ingredient shopping to the logistics of how to load the minivan to minimize the unloading time at the curb. Yes. My mom rocks.

However, I still struggle to gracefully accept the help of such a proactive and opinionated partner. e.g. "Do we ALWAYS have to serve a soup, Ma?!?"

Mom-daughter drama at my age? Sadly, yes. Pray for me; I'm still growing =/

So, when a sister called me up for one of my church recipes this week... a recipe way back from my first year of church cooking, I knew I could easily find a copy of exactly what I prepared. Why? In my mother's infinite wisdom, she used to make me write down exactly what I would prepare BEFORE our Sabbath meal.

Let that be a nice reminder to all of us: if your mommy is helpful - let her be helpful.

The original inspiration recipe from our local newspaper long ago

My handwritten Chicken Cacciatore recipe circa '03-ish

Double Down

2010-05-13T03:14:00.002-04:00

Oddly enough, I learned of the KFC Double Down from an ex-pat alum's Google away message. He lamented about not being able to try it for himself and posted a link from the BBC.

Luckily for me, one of my co-workers was just as curious as I was to try it. We picked a day during the breadless sandwich's debut week at the KFC at the end of the street. Since I was trying to stick to an everything-in-moderation lifestyle (and still doing so), I knew I wouldn't allow myself to polish off the whole thing in one sitting. I pre-packed some rice w/ quinoa and petite peas to off-set eating only half the Double Down.

It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. I was pleasantly surprised at how moist the chicken breast fillet was... but I was just as underwhelmed at the lack of flavor in the sauce. The bacon couldn't even save the disappointment of the "plastic" fast-food cheese slice!

The fact that I had other accouterments on my plate is what saved this experience from being a disappointing fail, and instead somewhat enjoyable.

What can I say? I'm not a no-carb kind of gal.

SPAM for Lunch

2010-02-02T00:59:00.004-05:00

I wasn't sure if I'd be called for afternoon round of jury duty, so my limbo lunch plans made today the perfect day to use some left over nori sheets, leftover quinoa-laced rice, and my emergency SPAM Singles Lite pack.

From SPAM LUNCH

While my family tends to keep a can of SPAM® LOW SODIUM as a pantry item, the slice o' SPAM was purcased on a whim when I found it at a 99¢ Only Store. This humble slice has been patiently waiting for me to rescue it from my desk and take it to the kitchenette where it could fulfill its destiny as -- SPAM Onigiri.

I would probably not have enjoyed myself as much if it weren't for the awesome Onigiri wrap sheets I found at a Fremont 99 Ranch.

The wraps are so glam-looking and come with a set of bright orange stickers to "seal" your creation. But the most fantastic element is the built in tear-line. It allows you to remove only half of the wrap, thus exposing only a first-half to your mouth.

Cheese of the Year: Queso Fresco

2009-12-25T20:58:00.012-05:00

I've had a lot of delicious cheese in my day. Creamy cheese. Hard cheese. Crumbly cheese. Stinky cheese. Fruit-filled cheese. Ash-filled cheese. Aged cheese. Fresh cheese. Stringy cheese. California cheese. Organic Cheese. :: GASP :: And I've even munched on the occasional bit of pasturized cheese product!

But, my most beloved cheese of 2009 was the humble, delicious, and stunning queso fresco.

I wasn't a total stranger to this cheese; I remembered bits of it crumbled on my ocasional order of enchiladas. However, until this year, I'd never really snacked on this queso for queso's sake.

The Salazar's introduced it to me on my brief So Cal visit in November. I was a little unsure of what I should expect from my snack of cold cheese slices served in a skillet-warmed corn tortilla. I hadn't had any sort of unmelted quesadilla before... But ultimately, I gave in to the better judgement of my hosts.

My first bite was life-changing. The unaged cheese was incredibly mild but full of fresh cow milk flavor. And because it wasn't over-salted, the flavor of the tortilla was able to really shine. I was so instantly enamored with the cheese that I made a batch of savory crepes the next morning for brunch and served them with queso fresco and ham.

After a few tries, the California-made Ranchero by Cacique is my favorite brand. The Casero by El Mexicano is also very popular and tasty, but I find that its more dry. Perhaps I'll try to make it from scratch in 2010.

My advice: Try it and share bites with your friends. If the bunch of you can't enjoy it in one sitting, make sure to store it in an odor resistant container - since it's such a mild, fresh cheese an inferior container may impart funky tastes or smells rendering your nice bit of cheese totally inedible.

Photo credits: me

Gadget: Potato Ricer

2009-12-22T02:28:00.005-05:00

photo credit: me -- money shot of the finished mashers is by my sis

I've likely been lusting after my own food mill or potato ricer since high school. I'm sure I was introduced to them through the likes of Martha Stewart and Lidia Bastianich. Who wouldn't want to make your own crushed tomatoes for a marinara sans skins or ungluey, fluffy mashed potatoes?

Traditionally, our family has used those squigley-line stick mashers, the backs of wooden spoons, or the occasional pastry cutter to take care of our potato-mashing tasks. The results have always been tasty, but I knew I could aim for perfection. I aimed to possess a potato ricer as soon as the price was right.

It wasn't until I found a clearance potato ricer from Target [I'm pretty sure it was under the Chefmate label] for about $3 that I finally made the leap. My mom was skeptical of any true usefulness of the thing, but once I made her our first batch of riced mashed potatoes did she truly believe. Sadly, the ricer was so poorly constructed that it didn't even last through a second use.

I knew I wanted to have a heavy-duty ricer in time for Thanksgiving, so after consulting Cook's Illustrated equipment reviews and spending time window shopping on the web, I had a purchasing game plan. Time passed until it was the week of Thanksgiving. I didn't want to risk an online order, so I put my walking shoes on.

Ideally, I wanted to spend under $20 and get a Cook's Illustrated Recommended model [Bethany Heavy-Duty Potato Ricer]. Fail. Not one potato ricer or food mill was to be found at my local Target store.

My search was limited to a store I could walk to on my lunch break. Crate&Barrel. Sur La Table. Williams-Sonoma.

I already knew that Williams-Sonoma had a $30+ potato ricer that seemed superbly efficient and heavy-duty. The demo video was very convincing. W-S would be my last stop.

First, I went to Crate&Barrel. It carried one model. Blah. I wasn't convinced.

Second, I headed to Sur La Table. This store had at least three different ricers and three different food mills. $20 models were not as well-designed as the W-S ricer, and the $100+ food mills were too pricey for me. No go.

Last, I walked into Williams-Sonoma. To my surprise, my dream ricer was one of the first products displayed in the store. After holding it I was convinced. It had true heft; I didn't think it would break anytime soon. The hopper also seemed larger than the other models I'd seen. It had holes on all sides of its hopper making me believe the online demo marketing buzz that it would take less effort to mash more potatoes, too.

So without any hesitation, I paid the $34 + tax and took home the Deluxe Angled Potato Ricer, a "Williams-Sonoma exclusive." It still takes some elbow grease to get the potatoes through the hopper, but since I'm short, using the ricer on a lower counter top seems to work best. I'm pleased and am completely free of buyer's remorse. After all, it's an investment.

My Thanksgiving mashers were delicious, could-like, and lump-free.

Luna and Larry: Coconut Bliss Bar

2009-12-20T19:09:00.005-05:00

I spotted a new item tag on this box of frozen dessert bars at Whole Foods a couple months ago.

I remembered being partial to Edy's/Dryer's Creamy Coconut Fruit Bars during undergrad, so I was willing to try it. After all, it said it was made with real coconut milk.

It wasn't till I took the box to the office that I read the fine print. I was not really into the touchy-feely branding, but the box looked pretty and I didn't have anything against a good vegan, gluten-free treat now and then... so I bought a box.

These bars are creamy and have a really luscious mouth-feel. Not as creamy as a true super premium dairy-based ice cream, but definitely more than a Rice Dream bar. I immediately wondered if Luna & Larry tasted better than what Art Smith made for the Zoe Deschanel episode of Top Chef Masters.

I liked 'em. They're just lightly sweetened and are pretty satisfying. I'm not entirely a fan of the bits of frozen coconut, but I don't think anything much beats real fresh young coconut or freshly toasted coconut. Perhaps if I were ever to have a restaurant with a Man Vs. Food-worthy spicy food challenge, I'd use Coconut Bliss Bars as the wuss-out relief popsicles.

Digital Camera = Blogging Comeback

2009-11-22T22:33:00.001-05:00

I picked up a snappy, inexpensive camera bundle last week [Fuji 38]. Hurray! [Published 12/20]

Where have all the posts gone?

2009-09-26T03:04:00.003-04:00

My lack of a functioning digital camera and unwillingness to drop enough cash to buy a fancy one, has made blogging less than pleasurable. [published 12/20]

Ghost of a Dinner Party

2009-08-20T00:36:00.005-04:00

Last month I decided Hurricane/Tropical Depression Felicia was a good enough reason to invite people over to eat. At first I was hesitant to announce my party plans, but after a few days of watching the trajectory, it seemed like it wouldn't do major damage and would die down before landfall. Afterward, I was super-juiced that "my" hurricane didn't kill anyone.

Since Felicia was on a path from Baja to Hawaii, I thought a Mexi-Hawaiian menu would be quite appropriate.

Bottled Coke (USA and Mexican)
Elotes Asados featuring Japanese Kewpie Mayo
SPAM Musubi
Slow Cooker Kālua Pork Tacos
Dulce de Leche-filled Churros

As with most common with my dinners, I rarely remember to photograph what I make. The only pic was of the last cob of grilled corn schmeared with Kewpie mayo, showered with cilantro, sprinkled with Cotija, just awaiting a sprinkle of two of my shortcuts to extra flavor... mouth-puckering Tajín seasoning (dehydrated lime juice is surprisingly addictive) and/or smokey bacon salt.

The Kālua Pork was my first time trying to dry-roast a piece of meat in the slow cooker. I took a hunk of bone-in shoulder, seasoned it with some salt, liquid smoke, and wrapped it in [frozen] banana leaves. The amount of fat it shed was positively shocking. A little Mi Pueblo salsa and fresh corn tortillas warmed on the grill made those suckers tasty, but a the meat was little dry.

Low sodium SPAM was the dark horse and clear winner of the evening. Nga helped my wrap them using my new acrylic sushi mold. There's something deeply simple and pleasurable about rice and pan-fried SPAM.

Stacey and Mark picked up the filled churros at Mi Pueblo. We reheated them on the grill and admired how the dulce caramel oozed from the center of every inch - in one continuous stream, top to bottom.

****

A couple weeks ago, I ended up improving the pork by using fresh banana leaves to line the pot and added a touch of Coke to keep the meat moist. I drained and shredded the roast and seasoned it with a little Mr. Yoshida's sauce a la Costco. I made 17 lbs. of the pork and less than half a pound remained for a crowd of 50.

Nothing Fishy Here...

2009-07-21T01:00:00.001-04:00

One of the pleasant, positive externalities about making visits to properties in my work portfolio is their proximity to places to find tasty eats.

My day trip to Monterey and Santa Cruz meant that a lunch stop in Moss Landing would be totally doable. Since Moss Landing is smack between the two and a minute off the highway, I was happy to follow Cindy's recommendation to grab lunch here.

I didn't do much research except the customer ratings linked to Phil's Fish Market on the Google Map search. Had I done my homework I probably would have chosen Phil's Throwdown-worthy Cioppino. Instead, I just went with my gut - I had the steamed mussels & garlic bread. I even had my choice of green or black mussels. For fun, I went with the green.

On portion size I was not disappointed. My appetizer-sized bowl would have been totally adequate to share, but I plowed through two-thirds of it on my own. The mussels were some of the freshest, plumpest I've had, but they weren't the cleanest. I had to de-beard most of them on my own, and I got a bit of grit in the beginning that made me more cautious than I had hoped. I totally loved the clean, just-right flavors of the broth... the fresh chopped garlic, tomatoes, and green onions had me till the very end. Had I carried clean, empty Ziploc Twist 'n Loc containers in my purse, I would've taken my leftover broth for the car ride home.

My co-worker who accompanied me was determined to choose something from the artichoke section of the menu. Yes. We were in artichoke country. She had the stuffed artichoke with bay shrimp, lettuce and cilantro dressing. She was pretty thrilled with her choice and liked the heady cilantro flavor.

I was pretty impressed with how busy the place was even at 2:00 PM. I would like to go back on a lazy day and take my next bite there at the wine bar or walk out back to see their view of the ocean.

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p-burg farmers' market

2009-06-25T01:51:00.010-04:00

I made my first trip of the season to the Pittsburg Farmers' Market. For about $7 I walked away with a bunch of kang kong, two delectable white peaches, two ears of corn, and two bitter melons.

The kang kong was my favorite vegetables when I was a kid. Apparently it was one of the foods I remembered from my toddler days in Malaysia. However, I haven't had it in a while, mostly because it never looked as fresh in Massachusetts Asian grocery stores. It was nice to enjoy it stir-fried with a little garlic. My mom also stir-fried the bitter melon with a little chicken, garlic, soy n such. It's funny how I never cared for the stuff until I went to college. Now I craved that bit of bitterness. I was also super-impressed with the white peach. I usually get burned when buying stone fruits at the grocery store, so it was completely refreshing to have a perfectly ripe and juicy peach.

Old School: Caspers Famous Hot Dogs

2009-06-04T02:55:00.006-04:00

Even though Caspers is a Bay Area institution, I never set food in one until yesterday. The menu is pretty straight forward - it's all about the hot dog and each dog variation hovers between the $2-$4 range. Toppings are straight-up too. Fresh tomatoes, hand-cut onions, mustard, relish... The chili cheese dog features a mostly-bean chili and finely shredded cheddar.

I get the impression that the dogs are famous for their natural casing, which their website describes as the "SNAP sensation." My first reaction was that the snap is more like an entertaining, semi-rubbery squeak. That's probably not the most tantalizing description, but the audible reminder that you're eating THAT-part-of-an-animal casing can freak you out if you haven't thought about it much before.

I'll be back for more, but I'm not going to leave my Costco dog any time soon.

How does your garden grow?

2009-05-03T21:53:00.005-04:00

After my semi-successful attempts at herb gardening in Boston apartments, a California backyard has created my first opportunity to garden. This year it's all about my first tomatoes and herbs. All of the organic plants are from Sweetwater Organics in Sebastopol, CA. I picked them up as part of a 2/$5 deal at Whole Foods.

Herbs: Basil; Chives (organic); Thyme (organic); Parsley (organic); and Rosemary (organic)

Tomatoes: Bush Champion (early-season, organic), Sun Gold (cherry, organic), Pineapple (late-season, bi-color beefsteak heirloom)

I went all out with the organic theme and used organic soil and organic fertilizer. I'm a little skeptical that I can keep the plants pest-free on my own, so I've been inspecting for anything scary looking and subjecting them to a good finger-squishing or toe-stomping. If the folks at Stone Soup Farms could hand-pick potato beetle larvae, surely, I can keep my own backyard creepy crawlies away.

And after almost five years of watching infomercials, I bought two Topsy Turvy tomato planters (not to be mistaken for the knock-off Upsy-Downsy planter). The two larger tomato varieties are in the planters, mostly because the thought of having to cage/stake the plants as they grew made me less excited about gardening. So far so good with the planters. They don't look completely ridiculous and the plants seem to be doing okay. We'll see what happens once I can actually taste the fruits of my labor.

My first-in-a-long-while attempt at baking a cheesecake

2009-04-27T02:10:00.004-04:00

I don't think I remember making a cheesecake since college or before. While I like eating cheesecake, the idea of baking one usually just seems way too torturous because of the wait-time needed to completely cool and chill the darn thing before eating it. And the act of making it reminds me of how deliciously caloric a piece of cheesecake can often be.

Mom had one of those pre-made graham cracker shells that was nearing it's recommended freshness date so I flipped over the label for some help. The recipe was simple enough, but I didn't have 16 oz of cream cheese, sour cream, or a fresh lemon on hand to complete the uncake cake. What I did have was a cup of heavy whipping cream, a mostly unused 8 oz tub of mascarpone cheese, and vanilla extract.

In the end, I made substitutions and recipe tweaks with what I had on hand and came out with an airy, slightly sweet and lemony cheesecake.

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
8 oz(more like 6 oz) mascarpone cheese
1/2 c super fine sugar
3/4 c heavy whipping cream, whipped into soft peaks
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla extract
6 oz. Honey Maid graham cracker pie shell.

cake pan filled 1/3 of height with water

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit
2. Whip cream into soft peaks with an electric mixer, set aside
3. Blend cheeses with mixer on medium speed
4. add sugar, blend
5. add eggs , blend
6. add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract
7. fold in whipped cream

Pour into shell and bake for 25 minutes. Place the cake pan of water on a lower shelf to keep a moist, quasi-bain marie atmosphere. The cake will rise a bit and still be jiggly, not-quite set when done. Cool cake on rack until completely cool. Next, chill in the refrigerator until chilled through (4-5 hours for me or 24 hours if you can bear it.

Eat some. Share some. Be merry.

The Boiling Crab - SJ

2009-03-27T00:00:00.003-04:00

Many people have made incredibly detailed reviews of this place. You should read them.

Pros: Tasty shellfish in butter, garlic, and/or Cajun spice by the pound. Pints of steamed white rice as a side dish option. Great sweet potato fries.

Cons: Unreliable servers (a little on the "young" side). Less than stellar fried fish basket (in Mei's experience). How messy are you willing to get?

Blueberry Cream Scones

2009-03-15T18:17:00.007-04:00

I made a bunch of scones last week and brought them to the office. I was pretty pleased with myself since folks overwhelmingly praised them as the best scones they ever had.

It all started with a Cook's Country recipe for quick cheddar biscuits. I upped the sugar and added the dried blueberries to turn my savory biscuit treat into a sweetened delight. They remind me a bit of the scones Danielle and I had at Tea Time in Palo Alto.

2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dried blueberries (or dried currants)
1 c heavy cream

To finish:
1 T melted butter
1 T demerara sugar (aka, turbinado sugar or the stuff in those Sugar in the Raw packets)

A. Preheat oven to 425 F
1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and blueberries into a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in heavy cream, gently binding the ingredients into a crumbly dough. (30 turns of the spoon - or just use your cool, clean hands to mix)
3. Turn the dough onto a smooth surface and pat into an 8-inch diameter disk.
4. Use a pizza cutter to get 8 scones out of the dough.
5. Place scones onto a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, melt butter in the microwave
7. At the 10 minute mark, brush the melted butter onto the scones and sprinkle the demerara sugar.
8. Return the tray of scones to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes until slightly golden.

Serve warm.

Goosecross Cellars 2004 Twentieth Anniversary Sparkline Rosé

2009-03-08T19:34:00.004-04:00

I bought this sparkling wine a long while ago. It was the store's "last bottle" and I had been using the store's free wi-fi for three hours on their deck, so I had to give it a try.

I just liked the idea of a wine maker crafting this sparkling rosé (Chardonnay/Zin) as a 20-year wedding anniversary present for his wife. The shelf-talking notes or the sales woman may have also mentioned that this was the winery's first and perhaps only sparkling number.

I finally opened it for a brunch with Sylvia and Stacey. It was totally good. Not overly sweet and with a really clean finish, it suited our brunch of turkey bacon sourdough eggs benedict and Nutella crepes just fine.

California Roll Salad for a Crowd

2009-02-20T23:18:00.009-05:00

This is my first recipe post since I've returned to California. I credit this recipe to Charlotte who made it for church lunch in Boston one Sabbath. I tweaked her recipe by adding cucumber and pre-mixing the crab salad over chopped romaine hearts.

Imagine a typical inside-out California roll: imitation crab, cucumber, and avocado wrapped tightly in nori with a sushi rice exterior and rolled in bright orange tobiko. Now imagine taking out the nori and rice, and mix the rest of the ingredients with some mayo. Top it over a bed of light leafy lettuce greens and you've got yourself an impressive salad.

I'd definitely make it again for a potluck or church lunch. I like that it's a no-cook recipe, so the most time-consuming part of prep was the washing, drying, and chopping up the romaine hearts. The fake crab sticks are pre-cooked (much like hot dogs), so using a mandoline to slice the frozen sticks on a bias make for really pretty crab bits and it kept the salad cool for transport. The salad was even kid-friendlier than I imagined. I figure the no-raw fish aspect of the dish and the automatic Japanese-food-is-cool factor helped. Even more, I cut costs of the roe low by buying frozen masago (capelin roe @ $4.95 lb) rather than frozen tobiko(flying fish roe @ $9.00/lb) or "fresh" tobiko ($20.00/lb)

The results are:
delicious (probably because of the touch of MSG in Japanese mayo);
colorful (tobiko/masago sweat food coloring like nothing else);
crunchy (romaine + cucumber + tobiko); and
kosher (as far as I can tell if you use regular mayo - maybe we should ask a Rabbi).

Prepares one party tray of salad/20-25 people

5 romaine hearts (I used a Costco pack)
1 package of frozen imitation crab sticks (2 lbs - the package should confirm kosherness)
1 large cucumber
3 large avocados
1 package of frozen masago (capelin are in the smelt family and smelt have scales, so that's why I think it's probably kosher)
1 cup Japanese mayonnaise (use a kosher mayonnaise to be sure - the MSG might be pork-based)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the bottom layer of the salad by washing, drying, and chopping the romaine hearts.

2. Prep the "crab" from frozen. Unwrap each stick from its platic forming tube and slice the sticks on a bias using a mandoline or chop sticks into bite-sized chunks.

3. Prep the cucumber. Quarter the cucumber in long strips, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Use a mandoline to slice each quarter into fine slices.

4. Prep the avocado. Half and pit the avocado. Score the flesh with a paring knife without piercing the skin. Use a spoon to harvest your diced avocado bits.

5. Combine the "crab," cucumber, avocado, masago, and mayo until all are uniformly distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Finish the salad by topping the greens with an even mix of the "crab" mix.

As with all salads using mayo, keep it chilled until serving time and don't let it sit out for too long.

Return to the Bay...

2009-02-01T23:32:00.011-05:00

The first thing I ate upon my return flight to the Bay was a thermos of my mom's sinigang with some rice.

The next morning, I made sure that my first meal was a double meat, lettuce and tomato In-n-Out burger. P.S. Did you know you can ask for a free sticker with your meal? Awesome!

My first trip back into Napa to pick up my winter wine included a trip to Bouchon for some uber-buttery brioche.

The first thing I cooked/baked was my first attempt at no-knead bread. Delicious!

My first "new-to-me" place was Gyros House in Mountain View where I tried to keep up with friendly airan-chugging, pistol-shootin' Bulgarians. Another bit of awesomeness!

My first "impressive" meal was Nga and Thomas's Chinese-Vietnamese seafood wedding banquet. Of course I was too busy eating and enjoying company to take pictures =)
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My first California fix of Mexican was in Oakland at Taqueria El Farolito. The torta was hearty, but I learned that I'm not a fan of Mexican Coke.

Closing the Boston Chapter - Part 5: The Final Wish List

2009-01-15T16:46:00.004-05:00

I've been sitting on this post for a while.

In my final months in Boston I made it to a lot of my favorite places and wish list spots.

Scups in the Harbor. This is a wish list spot that I didn't have time to visit. If I ever make it out to Logan Airport, I'm taking the airport shuttle or a cab to the harbor to make it to this too-good-to-be-true spot.

Sticky Sticky Bun from Flour. This Food Network Throw Down challenge winner is extremely rich and delicious. I really like the fact that it uses a minimum amount of cinnamon to let the brown sugar and butter flavors shine through. I will attempt to make it on my own someday...

Chacarero from Chacarero. The secret hot sauce! The bread! The steamed green beans! The mashed avocado! The salt! The pepper! The meat! Bright, clean flavors, freshness, and simplicity --- I shall miss it all.

Baked goods. Most notably I shall miss my walks down the block to Kupel's for fresh, eggy, sweet challah. I'll miss my half-priced after 5:00 loaves of bread from Sel de la Terre... the crusty french breads of Clear Flour Bakery... and lots of other carby gems.

Closing the Boston Chapter - Part 4: The H-Family Black Bottom Pie

2009-01-01T22:49:00.005-05:00

My Boston co-worker Lisa always brought her black bottom pie at pot luck events. The pie has an Oreo crust with a gelatin whipped topping filling. I had the honor of being served my own pie during my going-away dinner with her family. My memories of eating this pie are so pleasant that I think it deserves its own blog post. The chocolate cookie wafer crust could win any chocolate snob over... and the simplicity of the whipped filling just melted with every mouthful. The recipe is a guarded treasure of her in-laws, so I'm probably going to spend a few hours of my lifetime trying to recreate it =)

Lisa and Brian also have a knack for finding tasty places to eat in E. Boston and Chelsea. Without their leads on good eats, I would never have enjoyed 303 Cafe, Angela's Cafe, Tijuana, Rino's Place, or Dough's (well, maybe Dough's). Their daughters are definitely going to have great appreciation for tasty restaurant bites.

Closing the Boston Chapter - Part 3: Jewish/Israeli food binging in Brookline

2008-12-30T18:34:00.004-05:00

My last week in Brookline meant having a little bit of something from the neighborhood every day.

My typical stop was a breakfast of hazelnut coffee and a bagel sandwich from Kupel's. The bagel sandwiches on the menu come with a free bottled water which I always forgot to pick up. The lox spread was really creamy and hit the spot when I wanted to save $$ and skip the real lox. Moreover, my most favorite item at Kupel's had to have been the fresh challah. They had a really sweet dough that resembled (no joke) Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (the baked kind not the steamed kind). I could eat a loaf of that in one sitting if I allowed myself to do so.

Something indulgent but frequent were my stops for lunch with friends or evening to-go orders at Zaftigs, my beloved modern Jewish deli. Cold fish plates, cold cuts by the pound, perfect house coffee, banana stuffed french toast, knish, bagel chips and herbed cream cheese, or even the occasional chocolate chip cookie made me smile. Perhaps I'll spend money one day on a kitschy t-shirt from the counter. Examples: "Knish me" "Almost Jewish" "Got Challah?"

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

A rarer stop was going to the "real deal" places like Rubin's Kosher Deli or The Butcherie, a small grocery store. At Rubin's I'd go in off-peak so I could order from the counter by myself, without fear of being perceived as "the other." Shmaltzy kasha varnishkes, pastrami, knish.... I loved taking it all home. The Butcherie had the most Israeli products I've ever seen. I felt it was my little secret that I could read all the packages in Hebrew... but I never dared speak or thank anyone in Ivrit.

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

I squeezed in a couple stops into Ruth's Kitchen and Cafe Eilat before I left. I had my first kugel from Ruth's -- mm, it's probably not Ruth's fault, but I don't think I like kugel. I went into Cafe Eilat because the name seemed like something straight out of my Modern Hebrew textbooks. I tried some imported Israeli panna cotta. While I usually LOVE panna cotta, the trip around the world (or the likely freeze and defrosting) killed the texture of my dessert. The place also seemed pretty overpriced without any apparent differences in quality or kosherness.

Good or bad, I'll forever look to Brookline's Jewish and Israeli food stops for great food memories. Life will never be the same without having a fresh, immediate supply of challah.

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Closing the Boston Chapter - Part 2: Chung Shin Yuan

2008-12-30T02:28:00.006-05:00

I made a half-hearted entry a while back lamenting my lust for Taiwanese brunch in Newton. Before I left for California, I finally upped the whining and wrangled up a few church buddies of Taiwanese heritage to take me to this mythical, best-of-the-best, hidden food stop.

I had to overcome a few other hurdles to make this food voyage. First, the restaurant name is unapologetically Chinese which on the surface intimidates me - as a part Chinese-American, by way of a couple generations of family that kept British English as their home language, I've played deaf and dumb to any Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, etc... I've encountered. I usually assume that any Chinese restaurant with a real Chinese name at least has a second English name for me to use so I won't embarrass myself by butchering some poor transliteration of the original.

Second, the restaurant's Newton-Watertown border location is just plain F-A-R to most lay carless Bostonians. This truth had been a put-off to my usual food-hopping pals. Chung Shin Yuan could've been in Timbuktu for all some people cared.

Third, the restaurant exterior is almost scary. The sign is so faded and the exterior is so nondescript, that my Boston-hardened heart would've immediately rejected this place on it's lack of curb appeal alone. Apparently, my time on the East Coast clouded one of my life experience personal truths that many a good ethnic restaurant can (and sometimes must) be found in unlikely places, such as a strip mall or gas station.

Fourth, rumors I heard about the weekend brunch line were legendary - most folks recommended at least a half-hour wait. One couple I knew said that being in line didn't even guarantee you'd make it for one of the brunch seatings.

Waiting line at 11:05 AM from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

The restaurant opens at 11:30, so my pals and I arrived at 10:55. We were the first in line, and a dozen more people lined up behind us in no time. The smells of slow cooking meat and spices were wafting in the air as the crowd waited -- a heart-warming aroma for many that was only slightly interrupted by the cups of coffee that some folks brought in line from the MickeyD's next door. The restaurant opened it's doors a bit early at 11:20. The dining room (which was decorated quite tastefully as compared to the lame exterior) was completely seated within a couple minutes with the second-wave diners already in line out front. We ordered quickly and had food brought to us with great speed.

I'm pretty sure my favorite menu item was the simplest: the sweetened soy milk. Our bowl was steamy, sweet, and only slightly creamy. I think American soy drinks miss the boat completely when it comes to the Chinese soy milk experience. The consistency of soy milk is delicate and silky... with more of a mouthfeel that resembles fat-free or 1% milk rather than chalky, thickened-up whole milk.

Soy milk from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Youtiao from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

The Chinese doughnuts (youtiao) were hot 'n crispy, and, yes, oily. Don't let the doughnut grease scare you, only a minimal residual amount clings to the crispy/doughy sticks. You won't even notice it after you've dunked your youtiao in your bowl of sweet soy milk, anyway.

The shoabing was also really tasty. The flaky golden pastry that sandwiched perfectly seasoned cold beef cuts was delicious and only had that nice suggestion of sweetness after you gobbled the whole thing up. I would've ordered a whole one for myself if I didn't care to look like a bigger pig than usual.

Shoabing from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

The pan fried steam buns were doughy and full of juicy meatball goodness. But, compared to everything else, they seemed like filler. The Chinese leek pie and scallion pancake were also good in their fried glory, but their lack of animal meat or sugary goodness put them in the back of my mind. The salty soy milk was also good, but as a newbie I had no other experiences with which to compare it. If you think of salty soy milk as less like milk and more like a miso soup experience, you'll enjoy it. They add soy sauce and vinegar to the milk which helps curdle up the soy proteins into little silken tofu-like curds.

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

So if you want to ditch the dim sum carts of Chinatown, line up early for a Taiwanese brunch at Chung Shin Yuan instead.

Closing the Boston Chapter - Part 1: Color Korean Cuisine

2008-12-30T02:03:00.002-05:00

My favorite Boston Korean place in Boston is in Allston Village. It's not a far walk from Coolidge Corner and a quick 66 bus ride from Harvard Square. The eats are on the cheaper side and are still made the with the love of ten grandmothers. You won't be asked to grill your own food or cook your own soup - these folks prepare everything in back.

Two things bring me back: the sweet and spicy goodness of the best fried chicken in Boston (Color Chicken - small or large order) and the roasted corn tea (served hot in winter and iced in the summer). Sure the service is always nice and there are many other dishes worth eating (tteokbokki, various jigaes, and free side dishes in tasting portions), but in the end all I really want to do is scarf down plenty of fried chicken and wash it down with a delicious beverage - the oksusu cha is as good as anything else since this no-alcohol establishment doesn't serve any ice cold brewskis.

Color Korean Cuisine always hits the spot. It's small, so don't bring only your closest friends. It still seems to be a Korean insider spot, but be not alarmed. Don't be afraid if you call the restaurant and someone answers in Korean... don't even worry if they continue to speak Korean after you've exchanged a few sentences in English, eventually they'll get the idea and speak to you in English. Also remember that these restaurant folks observe the "Lord's Day," so make sure to stop by from Monday through Saturday only.

Bi Bim Bap from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Amazing "Color Chicken" from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Seafood Pancake from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Lois taking food pics from Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Myers + Chang

2008-12-12T12:42:00.004-05:00

My good-bye lunch could not have gone any better. Great friends, great conversation, and exceptional food made the day one to remember. We even had a nice first snow of the season fall the morning of my lunch.

Recalling the Tasty Menu

a: passed/starters

coconut kuri squash soup - this soup was rich and creamy - and much better than I remembered. the drizzle of hot chili oil spiced up everyone's appetites. I don't think all left an empty bowl. I recreated it for dinner the other night and was pleased with my results.

tea-smoked pork spare ribs - as awesome as I remembered. The pork pieces were rich, fatty, and fall-apart tender.

crispy spring rolls - i didn't think i'd enjoy a spring roll with that many vegetables inside - but true to the menu, each roll was crispy =)

* b: salads/sides

tiger's tears - every single element of this dish was fresh and outstanding! I know there's a recipe for this dish in my new Malaysian cookbook - I'll have to post a bit once my books arrive.

edamame and celery slaw - i don't even like celery, but this salad changed my mind. i think the sweetness of the candied lemons did the trick -- and whatever other acid they used in the dressing. this was definitely another table favorite.

* c: mains

wok-roasted mussels - the best mussels I've had EVER. The bowls were piled high with tender, succulent, sweet, lemon-grassy mollusks. I kept finding reasons to sop up more liquid from the mussel bowl.

chicken and rapini stir fry - tender and tasty meat and veggies. mmm...

beef and broccoli chow fun - i think we were too full to enjoy this dish by the time it arrived at our table.

* d: drink

fountain drink, tea, or coffee - the hot teas came in individual tea pots which was really charming. other late risers had plenty of coffee to start. note - cream served out of a clay vessel that you'd normally associate with a soy sauce server is pretty freaky to look at.

Cheri and our server were fantastic -- especially since I forgot that one of the guests had a food allergy. Thankfully, she could eat all of the items without any adjustments. Cheri even boxed up one of Joanne Chang's famous throw-down winning Sticky-Sticky Buns for my plane trip home! How nice was that!

I'd recommend the place for future events and I hope my party guests will continue to explore what the restaurant and bakery have to offer =)

Good-bye and Birthday Lunch Menu

2008-12-05T17:28:00.002-05:00

I'm so crazy busy I could scream/spit/cry... etc.

Rather than do any of those things I'm going to take Sara's lead and write a "five minute post."

I'm moving back to California on Sunday, which is also my birthday. I decided to take matters into my own hands and throw myself a Bye-Bye and Birthday Lunch at Myers + Chang.

I know I haven't blogged about my visits there nearly enough. I've gone pretty regularly (once every three months) for the past year, and the food has ranged from AMAZING to too-salty-to eat.

Some might shy away from throwing my last bash at a place that's been so inconsistent. Let's just say that I live dangerously and since I love Flour so much, I'm really rooting for Joanne Cheng's pan Asian restaurant to really soar.

The Tasty Menu

* a: passed/starters
* tea-smoked pork spare ribs *AWESOME*
* crispy spring rolls - garlic chives, bamboo, shiitake mushroom
* veggie-friendly soup - coconut kuri squash?

* b: mains
* wok-roasted mussels - black pepper, lemongrass
* chicken and rapini stirfry * - toasted garlic, chili peppers
* beef and broccoli chow fun - seared flank steak, wide rice noodles, onions

* c: salads/sides
* tiger's tears *AWESOME* - grilled skirt steak, thai basil, lime, khao koor
* edamame and celery slaw - sesame oil, candied lemon

* d: drink
* fountain drink, tea, or coffee

Filipino Pantry Leche Flan

2008-11-13T22:50:00.008-05:00

I can never really guarantee I can cook much if company stops, but there are a few pantry baking items I keep to ensure I could whip out a nice dessert or two. Marie Ange's almost flourless chocolate cake, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies or Stephen's blondies... but my favorite decadent pantry staple is a nice leche flan.

1/3 c sugar
1/4 c water
2/3 can sweetened condensed milk (non-fat okay)
6 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk (non-fat okay)
1 t vanilla extract

Prep.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a small saucepan, caramelize the sugar till golden brown. Pour sugary syrup mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish
3. Whisk the custard in this order: condensed milk, yolks, evaporated milk, vanilla
4. Pour the custard into the baking dish, passing through a strainer to collect any solids
5. Place small custard dish into 9 x 13 baking tray to prepare the water bath for the flan. Fill water bath with hot water to surround the custard half-way the height of the flan.
6. Bake for 1 hour. It'll be jiggly when removed. Remove the flan baking dish from the water bath. Cool on counter for an hour. Then chill the dessert in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
7. To serve, run a knife around the edges of the flan and turn over the flan onto a serving plate. Garnish with berries serve it plain. I love serving it as a base for shaved-ice desserts or spreading flan cubes on challah/brioche toast.

Notes: Eerik and Kristin held a baking olympiad recently and I had to withdraw my flan entry. I tried to improvise and replace two yolks with an egg white... not changing temp and baking time too much, it totally turned the flan into scrambled eggs.

Vinum Cellars "Financial Solidarity Sale"

2008-11-12T22:50:00.006-05:00

Richard Bruno and Chris Condos have the right idea. You should definitely think about taking advantage of their 40% off any 12-bottle case of wine "Financial Solidarity Sale."

It's the perfect time to try the mixed case sampler ($138) or a case of my favorite "budget" red, the PETs '06 - Petite Sirah ($100.80) [the best table red for my money - it tastes as good to me as anything pricier].

Even with the deep discount, I don't think I'd be able to bite the bullet for a case of my other Vinum favorites.

White Elephant '07 ($122.40) - one of the most delectable white wines ever - my workmates find the perfect blend of 58% Chenin Blanc, 30% Roussanne and 12% Viognier irresistible.

The Scrapper '05 ($216) In your face, Sideways. This Cab Franc is AWESOME.

Red Dirt Red '05 ($216) The 2007 Stanford Wine Selection that started my love affair with Vinum Cellars.

NapaCab '06 ($273.60) This wine is delicious. I use delicious in the way that an entire meal should be delicious, not just a nice drink. I've served this wine to people with pricey palettes and non-wine drinkers, alike. It's hands down decadent.

Roasted Pumpkin Pancetta Fried Brown Rice

2008-11-12T13:42:00.002-05:00

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Lois was at my house a month ago to make French Onion Soup. In order to feed our selves during the long wait of caramelized onions, I used some leftovers to make a quick autumn fried rice as a first course.

The stuff

4 oz pancetta, fine dice (Trader Joe sells a Citterio pack)
1 cup cooked cold pumpkin, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked cold brown rice
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
salt
pepper

The order

1. Start with cold pan. Cook pancetta till crispy, set aside after cooked and reserve remaining fat for cooking.

2. Heat the pumpkin through in pancetta renderings.

3. Toss in thyme leaves and rice. Heat through and season with salt and pepper.

Almost Instant Trader Joe's White Chicken Chile Enchilada Casserole

2008-11-09T20:33:00.004-05:00

[I'm still out of commission, but, with a touch of Advil, I'm finally posting a whole mess of entries that have been in "draft" status...]

Michelle, another roommate, has mentioned on occasion her mom's white chicken enchilada casserole that is made of a shredded rotisserie chicken, cheese, tortillas, and condensed cream of mushroom soup. Not only are the ingredients simple, it's prepared in a lasagna-like fashion and baked 'till bubbly.

When a coworker told me she'd be in the neighborhood to shop at the Trader Joe's I had no need to shop, but I thought I'd use the occasion to try to create my own white enchilada casserole.

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

I found all but one of my main ingredients at TJ's: the mushroom soup. Trader Joe's tries to carry holiday seasonal items (box stuffing, fried onion, etc), they do not carry anything close to cream of condensed anything. I took it upon myself to create a bechamel sauce with green chiles instead. Since the chiles at TJ's are extremely mild, I used garlic salt as my instant flavor booster.

Layering Ingredients

1 pack fresh corn tortillas
1 pack grilled chicken strips
1/2 bag fancy shredded Mexican (cheese) blend

White Chile Sauce Ingredients [Substitution: Can of condensed soup (mushroom or cheese) & 1-2 cans milk]

2/3 stick of butter
4 T of flour
3 cups of milk (I go for whole milk for bechamel - add 1 more cup of milk and another can of chiles if you want a lot of gravy in the casserole)
garlic salt
ground black/white pepper
1 can fire roasted diced green chile

How-To

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

1. Sauce: Melt butter, slowly whisk in flour on med-low heat until everything is incorporated, whisk in milk slowly to maintain a lump-free consistency, add in chiles, and season with garlic salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Shred or pulse the cooked chicken in a food processor (yields two cups of chicken in a processor)

3. Assemble sauce, tortilla, cheese, and chicken casserole layers in a 9" x 9" or 9" x 13" baking dish. I recommend a smaller dish and going for more layers - the bigger dish really stretches the recipe.

4. Layering tips: Start with a little sauce in the bottom of the pan. The final, top layer should consist of sauce and shredded cheese. The rest of the order is just up to you.

4. Bake in 350-degree F oven for at least 30 minutes or when the dish is heated through.

From Exploding taste buds lead to exploding waistlines

Boy Bawang: Better than CornNuts

2008-11-09T14:10:00.008-05:00

I totally have a wicked migraine, but I came across an unposted picture that made me smile, so I had to write up my thoughts quickly.

From Exploding tastebuds lead to exploding waistlines

I'd say Corn Nuts have always been a well-loved snack in my family. However, it wasn't until earlier this year that I discovered Boy Bawang, a Filipino product that's much tastier, crispier, and easier to eat. Easier to eat? Am I crazy? Corn Nuts can feel like work because the over-sized kernels are so dense. Boy Bawang (or literally, "garlic boy") kernels are made of smaller corn kernels, that when fried, create a thin-shelled, hollow mini kernel. My love of the garlic flavor is just a tad bit extreme. As a garlic lover, it's a fantastic to actually buy a garlic-flavored treat that also contains real deep-fried garlic chips (or bits) in the bag.

It was especially disappointing when I realized that I've had access to this snack almost my whole life (you can find them in pan-Asian or Filipino grocery stores and online), but it took my secret blogging obsession (Filipino wedding videographers and photographers) to finally inspire me to try a bag. I found mine in Quincy at Sure Pinoy Food Mart.

Spicy Slow-Cooker Sloppy Joes

2008-11-03T15:27:00.010-05:00

A few years ago, I was really into making spicy Sloppy Joes with turkey. I liked to play up a "Southwestern" twist on my Sloppy Joe dinners by serving them with jalapeno cheddar or hot sauce/Tabasco. I even have the mint green cafeteria-style serving trays that I used for my dinner parties to prove it. After recently remaking the recipe I discovered how delightful eating a Sloppy Joe becomes after the filling starts to melt away the integrity of the bun.

From Boston

I adapted my recipe from the PBS Everyday Food series.

Tools to keep your prep to a minimum:

Food processor
Crock-pot

The stuff for a group of four:

1 medium onion, finely chopped/pulsed
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped/pulsed
1 jalapeno or serrano chili pepper, finely chopped/pulsed
1 stalk celery, finely chopped/pulsed
2 garlic cloves, minced/pulsed
1/2 teaspoon red chili flake
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
1/2 teaspoon, cumin
1 pound ground turkey
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
Coarse salt and black ground pepper to taste
8 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Steps to make:

1. pulse the veggies in smaller batches
2. add veggies, meat, seasoning, tomato sauce and ketchup to crock-pot
3. run the crock-pot High a minimum of 3 hours or run it on low for 5 hours to overnight. The longer the crock-pot runs, the more the veggies seem to disappear and cook into the sauce.
4. add salt and pepper to taste
5. Serve on buns for a delicious experience.

Variations: This makes an equally nice taco filling or nacho topper. Or add beans for a chili con carne dinner. Replace the meat completely since the magic is in the tomato sauce/ketchup/onion/garlic/pepper base anyway.

For a crowd: To feed a group of 20, I increased this recipe six times over. I saved some cash by using 80/20 ground beef and eliminated the spices. The batch fit into two large Crock-Pots.

Foul Moudammas

2008-10-30T00:47:00.003-04:00

My roomie, Bursha, made a big pot of foul (pronounced 'fool') moudammas (fava beans) tonight. She explained some finer points of preparing her dish... while foul moudammas can be served hot or cold, stew-like or hummus-like, Busha took the warmed, stewed pita filling route. Bushra says she likes this dish because it's one of her home comfort foods, and it's a dish that's eaten by the rich and the poor alike.

There are many ways to season the beans as well, but she recreated her mom's familiar Sudanese seasoning (which I think mimics the Egyptian canned version).

I can sorta guess her recipe...

1/2 t cumin (the apparent Egyptian or Sudanese twist?)
1 medium onion
1 T minced garlic
1 T olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can of fava beans/foul moudammas from the Middle Eastern grocer near you
4 oz of feta cheese
salt to taste
Serve with pita and plain egg omelette.
Feeds 2-3 as a meal. Or makes a nice party nosh recipe for 8-12.

Toast the ground cumin in a dry pot/pan... brown onions and garlic in the cumin and olive oil. Add in fava beans, tomatoes, and feta. Heat high then simmer for 20 min. Mash up the beans and feta chunks in the pot with a jam jar or potato masher till chunky, not smooth. Serve in a wide-mouthed bowl to dip with Arabic bread (we used a little pita but I'd even satisfy my love of rice with this one). We used a little egg omelette to lighten the bean stew and fill us up for a late night power snack. But Bushra promises that reheated, day-old foul moudammas is even tastier!

p.s. i did cheat and repost this from my personal blog.

out in the burbs

2008-10-26T10:16:00.008-04:00

After church, a carload of some of us young ladies headed out to dinner and dessert...

The first stop was Big Fresh Cafe in Framingham. It's an organic place that focuses on local products - for eating organic and fresh, the menu is priced pretty reasonably. I had the Stir Fry Big Fresh Special, "Organic tofu in a delicious satay sauce, served on brown rice with teriyaki vegetables & collard greens." The presentation was pretty and I added a bit of Bragg Liquid Aminos as a seemingly lower-sodium soy sauce alternative. (I don't know the specs for sure, yet.)

But apparently I didn't get the memo that dinner was really supposed to be a snack, since everyone was saving room for ice cream at North End Treats.

We were surprised to find out that the store had much more than ice cream. Frozen yogurt with mix-ins, Richardson's ice cream, and gelati made up the frozen treat section. Sandwiches, pizzas, and pastries using recipes from Bova's 24-hour Bakery in the North End are sold here, too. Lois had an amazing hazelnut gelato, Evelyn had her first cannoli with chocolate chip-dipped ends, and Pam and I shared an amazing peanut butter cup bar.

Jo-Jo Tai Pei

2008-10-05T19:48:00.007-04:00

Do four Taiwanese eateries within a half-mile radius make a neighborhood a Taiwan-town?

The original two Taiwanese store fronts in Allston Village were Infusions Tea Spa (tapioca pearl tea and tea-time snack haven) and its next door neighbor - Yi Soon Bakery. Then Super 88 welcomed a Wisteria in the food court after the Newbury Street location split into two (the Super 88 in Allston and the East Cambridge sit-down). More recently Jo-Jo Tai Pei moved across the street from the bakery.

I've been there twice and both times have been quite tasty. The first time Sandra and Jack brought me there for the "special pork chop over rice" ($6.99), Taiwanese stir-fried noodles ($6.99), "famous spicy beef noodle soup" ($8.99), and "bow bin" shaved ice (small $4.99).

The pork chop plate really felt like a good value. The chop was season, fried, and enormous. Sides included a tea egg, Chinese broccoli, and some pickled turnip (?) - I never touch it, so I'm never sure. I love the "garnish" of stewed fatty pork belly pieces.

The stir fried noodles were simple, not overly oily, and perfectly seasoned with just enough garlic and onion flavor.

The beef noodles, while pricier than I'd like to pay for, were delicious. The spiciness level was decent and the texture of the noodles was dense enough to give a little chew.

The shaved ice was tasty. Of all the sweet toppings I love the tapioca pearls and boiled peanuts the best. While I do enjoy the sweet beans, my brain never gets used to eating sweetened boiled mung beans.

I followed Jerry and Scott there a second time for the "crispy smelly bean curd" ($5.99), oyster pancake ($5.99), cold dan-dan peanut noodles ($6.99), and large bow bin ($6.99).

It was my first stinky tofu experience. The whole restaurant could smell something was up once our order was fired up. A few Asian and non-Asian patrons asked each other "What is that smell?" For all it's pungency, the flavor and texture were pretty mellow. The pieces of tofu are bite-sized, so it's easy to throw a few down the gullet and act like a season stinky-tofu eater. The oyster pancake was good, but not as amazing as Myers+Chang's version. The dan-dan noodles were tasty - and easy enough to take out for a picnic dish. I enjoy them more than Thai Peanut noodle salad because they use a thicker (almost Soba-like) noodle.

I look forward to going back to search for one of my holy grail, childhood food memory dishes - the Jo-Jo Special Mini Steamed Bun. It's a thicker dough version of a soup-on-the-inside dumpling that's been pan seared. The ones I remember from my elementary school days in a South Bay Taiwanese noodle shop were pan fried on both sides, but the Jo-Jo version online appears to be close enough. I'll find out one of these days.

Summer Bounty

2008-10-05T19:38:00.003-04:00

I just borrowed Lois's camera battery charger and rescued a few pictures that were trapped on my camera since June.

This picture was the first Stone Soup Farm delivery that included the flower share. L-R: cucumber, kale, Japanese eggplant, fennel, wild flowers, cilantro, onions, and sugar snap peas.

I also really enjoyed the few weeks we had fresh heirloom tomatoes and edamame pods. The tomatoes were so lovely and flavorful, and the edamame was nice after quickly boiling them and eating them with sea salt and fresh squeezed lime juice. Too bad I didn't have battery life to take those pics!

Vegan Coconut Gelatain

2008-10-03T12:39:00.002-04:00

I needed something to do with my hands while listening/watching the vice presidential debate last night. What to do? Make Vegan Coconut Gelatin. What makes this gelatin vegan? Well, apparently the real jiggly-making substance is made from *******. My gelatin is made from seaweed - my family has always called it agar-agar (Malay word for jelly). It's not as "jiggly" as Jell-O, but it's still soft and is just slightly sweet. We'd eat it in multi-layered colors or piled high with canned fruit cocktail.

There are plenty of recipes online, but I took my inspiration by tweaking a recipe in my copy of The Spice Merchant's Daughter by Christina Arokiasamy.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups boiling water
1/3 c agave syrup (Available at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods - or substitute 1/2 cup sugar)
1 can (14 oz) Light Coconut Milk (I used Trader Joe's)
1 ts vanilla extract
***
21 grams of powdered Agar-Agar (I used three 7 gram pouches - it's a scant 1/4 cup)
1/4 cups hot water
***
(Optional) food coloring

Assembly Required

Step 1. Bring water to a gentle boil, add in agave, coconut milk, and vanilla. Return to a boil and take off heat.

Step 2. Dissolve agar-agar in the 1/4 cup of hot water making a smooth paste.

Step 3. Slowly whisk your hot coconut milk mixture into the dissolved agar-agar paste.

Step 4. Pour into a large 13" x 9" Pyrex, bundt, or other molds you have on hand. Let the mixture cool on a counter. As it cools, it will start to set.

Step 5. Cover the cooled agar-agar in its mold and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Cube them into little parallelepipeds(?). Serve with fresh fruit, canned fruit cocktail, or use it as a base in a shaved-ice dessert.

lomo'd farmers' market

2008-09-24T08:08:00.004-04:00

I've been toting around a Lomo LC-A this summer and have had varying degrees of success with capturing analog photos. There's a nice rich, color saturation that comes with the camera that brings out the best in memories. These two photos are just from a stroll to the Government Center farmers' market.

Omnivore's Hundred

2008-09-21T22:04:00.004-04:00

Sara posted her response to the VGT (Very Good Taste) Omnivore's Hundred list. I guess I've only eaten half of the things on the list, but I'd probably only be willing to eat 90% of the list anyway.

I felt pretty strongly about re-posting it for my loyal readers (all three of you) because I like the fact that the list spans all sorts of food groups, cultures, and price points. Who knows, I might obsess about this list as much as I did Stanford Magazine's list of 101 Things to Do Before You Graduate.

The Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari Tasty bites from the North End of course!
12. Pho Totally!
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail Filipino kare kare!!!
41. Curried goat Mommy influenced my opinion of goat - too stinky - I don't think I'll eat it.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear I'm pretty sure prickly pear martinis don't count either
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian I assume Durian-flavored things don't count.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie I don't enjoy these, but Sara totally does!
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong - maybe, I don't remember half the Chinese things I've consumed.
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict Reminds me of Stephen and my great brunch housewarming disaster.
83. Pocky AMAZING!
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash My Hungarian roommate Tomas was obsessed.
88. Flowers
89. Horse Yuck. I don't think I'll ever try this.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab Mmmm. One of my favorite foods
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta And more of it thanks to the instant stuff at Trader Joe's
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

2008 Stanford Wine Program Selections

2008-09-10T07:37:00.005-04:00

I used to think the Alumni office was all secret society-ish about their wine program offerings to SAA members-only. Apparently they've opened it up to the web-surfing public. Read about the selections here. The online prices are valid for CA, NM, and IA customers, but other out-of-state folks have different pricing and have to order through a special list of partner retailers - this list is not available online and is still secret society-ish.

Vinum Cellars Wine Club - '08 Part Two

2008-09-09T16:56:00.007-04:00

What was delivered in my Vinum Cellars wine club shipment last month?

2006 PETS, Petite Sirah, Clarksburg - Amazing. I think it's a great value for an easy to drink, unboring table red. Work people as well as Christophe and Blandine's Francophile dinner guests could not say better things about this wine. Boston folks can find it at Blanchard's ($12.99/bottle).

2007 White Elephant, California White Table Wine - I'm sure it was amazing as in my last shipment, but Ellen and Mary Ann bought these back from me as almost soon as I opened the box. I'm so happy they did!!! I'm not a baller who can actually afford to drink all this wine by myself. This would normally be just out of my price range if I were walking through a store ($17/bottle).

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - I haven't tried it yet - as one of the pricier wines ($38/bottle) these puppies will keep until I have a nice excuse to open them.

2007 CNW, Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg - You know, as much as Vinum founders Chris Condos and Richard Bruno are famous for their love of Chenin Blanc, I can't say I share it. It makes me a little sad that I don't know how to appreciate this varietal. I've never had any other CBs, so I can't compare. That's probably my first step in learning what all the fuss is about (aww - I'm pulling the old "it's not you, it's me" excuse). But it's a very affordable, stand-up table white ($12/bottle).

Again, I'm really thankful to have stumbled upon Vinum through last year's Stanford Wine Program. I'm even more juiced that as a small boutique winery they can ship directly to folks in Massachusetts!

Dressed Strawberries

2008-08-15T18:27:00.002-04:00

I brought some fresh sliced strawberries into the office. Rather than trying to sweeten them up with sugar, I dressed them lightly with a little special vinegar and olive oil from my trip to Round Pound Vineyard.

Red Wine Vinegar - Sangiovese, Nebbiolo & Petit Verdot. This vinegar is pretty exceptional and is made with wine grapes... not just left over wine =)

Olive Oil - Blood Orange Olive Oil. The mouth feel is light and a hint buttery, but the flavor and aroma is all orange.

Cute CSA Veggies!

2008-08-06T10:35:00.007-04:00

the cutest little eggplant!

the tiniest, roundest watermelon!

the most adorable ear of corn!

Carrot Surprise!

2008-07-29T21:07:00.003-04:00

This funny-looking veggie landed in our CSA share bag this week :)

How's it going? Stone Soup Farm CSA

2008-07-22T17:43:00.005-04:00

The Stone Soup Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares have been going strong for over a month now. The early part of the season included lettuces, greens (collards/kale), beets, and herbs. Now that the weather has warmed, we've seen lots more cucumbers, summer squash, purple cabbage and kohlrabi.

I've been pretty pleased with the quality and amount of food that's been allotted to our half share (5-8 lbs/week vs a 10-15 lbs/week full share). The collards, cucumbers, and summer squash have been particularly hearty specimens. Organic and pesticide-free, I was worried that the veggies would be really buggy - but that's not been the case. I'm particularly eager to see okra and tomatoes in the coming weeks: I'm already saving a pinakbet recipe or sinigang recipe for them. I'm also eagerly awaiting to see our first ears of yummy corn!!!

My only battle has been with the lettuces --- these are real vegetables grown in real dirt. Real dirt that is dirty, sandy, and self-multiplying. No matter how much I wash the lettuce, there's always more sand to be found. I'm a visually-picky eater - so any signs of dirt shuts off my desire to eat lettuce that's not cellophane-wrapped. I hope it's only a minor issue I grow out of, but should expect my experience to be any different?

On an extremely positive note, the customer service and education from the Stone Soup Staff has been EXCELLENT. Each week CSA members receive an email with a list of items of the week, some interesting anecdote about the growing season or the goings-on at the farm, and (usually) a suggested recipe. I haven't used any of their recipes yet, but two examples include Coconut Chutney Hor d'ourves with Zucchini and Beet Brownies. Customer education pieces include walking us through the farm decision to pilot biodegradable plastic tarps for young veggie beds... Or to tell us of the painstaking care our farmers have taken to control the troublesome pests like the Colorado Potato Beetles (and larvae) by removing them BY HAND!

If you eat with your eyes, take a look at this gorgeous slideshow of some of the tastiest veggies around.

On the Road: Phoenix - Different Pointe of View

2008-07-18T10:27:00.005-04:00

Work brought me to the Pointe Hilton resorts in Phoenix. One wonderful part of the visit was dinner at the Different Pointe of View restaurant at the Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Our server mentioned that Executive Chef Anthony DeMuro recently joined and revamped the menu recently. My pals and I were happy to sample the fare and enjoy the panoramic views from North Mountain were especially pretty beneath a setting sun and full moon.

We opened with drinks and appetizers from the patio. I only had a dying digital camera and my Diana, so I was unable to capture pictures of the entrees in their full glory (note to self: upgrade cell phone asap). The Saba Marinated Mission Figs, Mozzarella di Bufala, & Heirloom Tomatoes appetizer was served with Gorgonzola Creme Fraiche, EVOO and Baby Basil. The mozzarella was stunningly creamy and the tomatoes were perfectly hearty. I was happy to share the plate while sipping on my glass of Lagar de Cevara Albarino.

The rest of the night featured the following entrees. Each was carefully prepared and (thankfully) not over seasoned. The waitstaff was s. friendly and easily offered recommendations or sought answers when we had questions. One wonderful surprise was the loup de mer - while some might be scared to order something they could scarce pronounce, our waiter gladly explained the "wolf of the sea" first as "an ugly fish" and second as "French Sea Bass." The flesh was hearty and the smoked applewood flavor permeated the entire fillet.

Pan Seared Muscovy Duck Breast - Pecorino & Alba Truffle-Scented Soft Polenta with Braised Duck, Sauteed Spinach, Clementine Olive Oil Emulsion, Balsamic Drizzle

Pan Seared Coriander Crusted Organic Oregon Lamb Loin - Sweet Golden Corn Parmesan Risotto with Marcona Almonds, Swiss Chard, Dried Zante Currant Lamb Demi Glace

Applewood-smoked Loup de Mer - Piquant Fingerling Potato, Crisp Pancetta, Roasted Tomato & Crimini Mushroom Saute, Butter Braised Leeks, Cabrales Butter, Cabernet Fig Reduction

Chocolate Fire - Sweet Chile Spice Cocoa Cream

The Chocolate Fire was completely amazing - perhaps not on its own at first. We were told that the cold set dessert was prepared with five types of chocolate. That sounded southwestern to us. We each ate a small scoop, allowing the full amount to melt as the heat from our mouths allowed the chili oils to burst on our tongues. To our surprise the waiter brought us a glass of port to heighten our flavor experience. Taking a sip of the port after the chocolate allowed new spicy chili flavors to come through - exposing us all to the real depth of each chile.

Overall, the food, wine, service, and atmosphere of Different Pointe of View was spot on. My only bit of hesitation came to the printing of the menu - I am a grammarphobe, but even I had to look twice at the use of capitalization and hyphens. Perhaps it'd all be easier to do if the languages didn't straddle the French-Italian realm.

I'd be happy to return here someday. Preferably, I'd be back NOT during the s. hot off-season. But if you find yourself in the Valley of the Sun, treat yourself and maybe a friendly Phoenician to a darling view and tasty eats.

Vinum Cellars 2006 Rose It's Okay

2008-06-26T17:02:00.004-04:00

So, I shared with you the story of Vinum Cellars and their 2007 Stanford Wine Program win. Vinum has a summer special that will blow your mind. Both their 2006 Chard No Way chenin blanc number and 2006 Rosé It's Okay! cab sauvignon cuveé are selling at half off each case!

Price? $66 for 12 bottles (all CNW, all Rosé, or half-and-half)

And for that unbelievable price, you're also getting real tastiness, too. The Wine Enthusiast gave the CNW 87 points and named it a best buy in October. In the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Vinum's Rosé took home a gold medal in the Dry Rosé class.

I haven't opened the CNW yet, but I did twist-off (rather than uncork)the Rosé with the work folks. It's definitely not a sugary sweet. Rather, it's very dry and has a decent body. I'm keeping it as a summer table wine and keep a bottle at work for impromptu dinner party presents.

From my wineBeagles facebook application tasting notes...

"The candy apple red hue of this rosé immediately sets it apart from most blush wines. It's a medium-bodied, crisp number that really surprised me. I expected something sugary, but was welcomed by bright cherry flavors from a cab cuvee."

The best doughnuts EVER

2008-06-22T09:24:00.001-04:00

Betty Ann Food Shop in East Boston.
565 Bennington St, Boston, MA 02128, USA
Tuesday - Sunday Mornings

Hebrew fun-break

2008-06-21T17:59:00.001-04:00

I took a break from work to copy and translate (with lots of online help) the lyrics to Yael Naim's song "Yashanti."

Phantom Gourmet Beach BBQ

2008-06-19T13:42:00.002-04:00

Ribs from Firefly's

Beef n Shrimp plate from Aussom Aussie

Chowin' Down

Food Lust

2008-06-16T15:52:00.003-04:00

Jerry is a church dude who is known as the most discerning Chinese food diner out of all of us. Perhaps it's because his family owns a Chinese restaurant.

While dining at the newly renovated Mulan the other day, I asked him which Massachusetts restaurant has the most authentic Chinese/Taiwanese food. Jerry immediately answered, "Chung-shin Yuan in Newton."

Apparently they have the most amazing Taiwanese brunch menu on the weekends. I've heard stories from co-workers who live in the neighborhood about the long lines of customers they see everytime they drive past the building. Church folk have told tales of waiting an hour before the 11:30 AM first seating... Jerry's even had to wait over an hour for take-out.

I'm so eager to try this place for myself. Though, even more intimidating is Jerry's advice to bring someone with me who can read Chinese (apparently translations won't help you much).

Chung-shin Yuan INC
183 California St
Newton, MA 02458-1008

One Look at Asia Fabulous

2008-05-23T18:04:00.002-04:00

Remember the Tofu Egg Curry I made for Iron Chef? Jen helped me recreate it for Asia Fabulous!

On the fly dinner @ Myers & Chang

2008-05-08T15:59:00.001-04:00

Coming soon to a kitchen near you...

2008-04-08T14:23:00.002-04:00

Iron Chef Tofu Battle: NYC Chinatown Edition

2008-04-07T22:39:00.009-04:00

Jen's boyfriend, Daniel, has been on a 6 month in NYC. While I'm not totally clear on the origins of our dinner party, it seems safe to say that one of his Princeton buddies, Olympia, decided to challenge Daniel to an Iron Chef-like dinner battle. From an email thread, I gleaned that he is apparently naturally suited to such a competition because of his "Bobby Flay-esque egotism." I received a voicemail from Daniel and a text from Jen: Would I go to NYC to be his "secret weapon/sous chef?"

I agreed at the last minute. I knew I'd be in town to have Filipino brunch with Jen and Thuy and Nicki pre-dinner battle. And, if I took the Chinatown bus, I'd only spend $30 round-trip. A day of good food, old friends, and new people? I couldn't pass it up.

The secret ingredient was announced at 4 pm in Chinatown. Tofu.

Jen thuy and I were in SoHo when we got the news. "What a piss-poor ingredient," I thought out loud. I was a little mad. Tofu? I rarely use the stuff. And we were against two Cantonese girls. They'd out-Chinese me for sure. I had to think out of the box.

Jen and I arrived at 5 pm just before Daniel. The girls, who went by both Queens of Canton and Team Canton, had pre purchased 6 or so different types of tofu. We claimed our tofu types and all shopped separately before returning to the kitchen. Both teams shared the stove and rotated to accommodate each other... by 8 or 9 pm we presented our dishes and started to eat.

True to Chinese form, Team Canton had a hot and sour soup with the soy-marinated tofu, wood ear, and pork. It was super yummy - you could taste the melted pork fat. They followed up with fish paste-stuffed tofu and eggplant. They even scored the eggplant so it'd "absorb more flavor." I thought it had good texture. Then they had a noodle bowl with tofu, kailan, red pepper and (a store-bought) roast duck. It was a pretty dish the judges liked in appearance. [The dinner "Chariman" originally asked that duck be our secret ingredient, so one of the Queens of Canton purchased this to appease him] Their closer was "tofu" almond gelatin topped with mangoes. I must say, I was a little skeptical of it's true "tofuness," butI'm sure it tasted just fine.

Daniel and I donned our yellow aprons and named ourselves "Team Awesome." We started our international tofu menu with a silken tofu/soy ice cream/peach-berry smoothie. It was California-inspired for sure. Daniel is not Canto, but he is obsessed with Sichuan food, so he used his Blackberry to craft a super-spicy ma po tofu. It got high flavor marks from the judges. Next I took the judges to Southeast Asia by making a yellow coconut curry with potatoes, okra, deep-fried tofu puffs and deep-fried hard-boiled eggs. I was so proud of this dish because the texture of the exterior of the eggs matched the puffs so well. Plus, the nooks and crannies of the tofu skin, egg "skin" held the sauce nicely. Then we closed with a trip to Italy. We combined silken tofu and ricotta to make a lasagna with a pork ragù and and homemade balsamella (bechamel) sauces. It was sooo surprisingly good we could have left out the ricotta entirely.

the judges deliberated on....

Flavor (ma po tofu and lasagna hit the spot)
Presentation
Creativity (smoothie and lasagna)
Use of ingredient

We won the flavor and creativity categories so it came down to points. .... and we won! Bringing tofu out of Asia was our biggest asset.

Quick! Go find a farm with a CSA program!

2008-03-05T00:02:00.003-05:00

Folks a the office are starting to talk about their grand gardening plans for the Spring/Summer growing season. Some have backyards or deck gardens. Others are urban gardeners with plots in neighborhood community gardens. And for a hot minute, I, too, considered the adventure of urban gardening.

Ha! That would be a horrible idea for me.

Instead, I got my Google on and looked into local farm share programs. Community Supported Agriculture programs are pretty popular and nowadays farms will often deliver into the city and many no longer require that members put in work time. Some CSAs ask that you commit to a full or half share at the beginning of the season, $250-$500, and in return you receive between 5-15 lbs of produce weekly. Instead of equating your share to fixed amount of produce, other CSAs count your share as afixed percent-off at their farmer's market stands. These are all good things for the carless city-dweller that I am.

I'm splitting a half share with friends this year at Stone Soup Farm. I'm excited because it means I'll have access to organic produce at around $2/lb. That's definitely better than most of the deals at Whole Foods or anywhere in my neighborhood. I hope to report back in June with the first fruits of the season and share recipes.

www.localharvest.org is a neat site where you can find local CSAs, farms, markets, and even restaurants that support local farms.

More Stanford wine without the Stanford label.

2008-03-04T23:16:00.005-05:00

I totally was into the story of the dudes at Vinum Cellars when the Stanford Alumni Wine Program announced last year's selections. Richard Bruno and Chris Condos both headed to UC Davis to study Viticulture & Enology. Lucky for us, they began Vinum and brought forth into the world some phantasmic wines.

Last year, Stanford panel awarded Vinum Cellars' 2005 Red Dirt Red with it's highest honor and made it available to lucky Stanford folk under the name 2005 Cardinal Cuvée (sounds like coo-vay?). At some point I should learn what folks javascript:void(0)
Publish Post mean when they describe it as a Rhône-style or Châteauneuf-style wine. I can't find the tasting notes from the panel and Mr. Bruno, but the praise was high and the advice was to keep it as a collector wine. Well, I don't know if all my bottles will make it to the 5-7 year mark, but the bottles we've had so far are amazing. $30/bottle

I went so far as to contact the winery and join their wine club. They actually ship to Massachusetts!!!

Here's a snippet from my WineBeagles tasting note.

"bold. a drier red with lotsa cherry going on. the tannins greet your first sip with a swift, but enjoyable, punch on the kisser... uber hip label and cork design, too. "

A Stanford wine without the Stanford label...

2008-02-28T17:26:00.004-05:00

Many my workmates asked were one could buy the Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon that was featured as a 2007 Stanford Wine Program selection without having to trek to California. [A bonus to working with me is that I share Stanford wine from time to time].

Why did it stand out so much? It's a nice medium-bodied red with lots of solid berry flavor and just a slight amount of spice. The finish is just right and lingers just long enough to remind you that you need another sip.

I emailed the winery and they forwarded the list of stores below. It retails in the "real world" under the name: 2004 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Three Vineyards*. You can buy directly from the winery or find it at a good number of places with the Google Product Search.

Leave a comment if you have a chance to try it!

Boston/Metro West Retailers

Albert Winestein 84 Fairmont (Hyde Park) [20% off on a case!]

Brighton Beverage 1650 Soldiers Field Rd (Brighton)

Brookline Liquor Mart 1354 Commonwealth Ave (Allston)

Gomes Liquors 58 Ashby State Rd (Fitchburg)

Hyders Mediterranean Market 408 Pleasant St (Worcester)

Macy’s 1826 Centre St (West Roxbury)

Plaza Liquor Mart 761 Providence Hwy (Dedham)

Port wine & Spirits 25 Storey Ave (Newburyport)

University Wine & Spirits 323A Boston Ave (Medford)

Water Street Wine & Spirits 1 Nicholas Rd (Framingham)

Wine Cask Cellars 100 Powdermill Rd (Acton)

*Under the Stanford label it was called 2004 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Great Bay

2008-02-20T21:14:00.002-05:00

I've been slow to post the wonderful details of my Great Bay weeknight dining extravaganza. It's not for a lack of awesomeness on their part: instead, I can't find my camera cord and I've been a bit crazed at the day job. I'll share every last juicy, tender, tasty detail soon!

Facebook Wine App

2008-02-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

Part of me longs to be a wine guru. Right now, I lack the play money, time, and patience to develop my wine knowledge. Instead, I can pretend to know what I'm doing by adding a Facebook App that allows me to share with other wine wannabes my "cellar" contents, wine wish list, and tasting notes.

In reality, my cellar consists of two cardboard boxes filled with mostly Stanford Alumni Wine Program vintages and my first shipment as a Vinum Cellars Wine Club member.

Chicken Quinoa Soup with Peas and Shallots

2008-02-15T23:50:00.002-05:00

The worst thing about being sick and away from home or any significant others is that if you're sick, you're likely in charge of making/buying your own sick food. When I lived in Allston, I was more than happy to pay a delivery fee to get quarts of Zaftig's Chicken Soup egg noodles with matzo ball (plus extra matzo balls) sent to my door. If I were home, my mom would make chicken soup from scratch, or better yet, gingery, scalliony bubur ayam (Malay name of what's commonly referred to in Chinese kitchens as jook/congee or in my-speak "rice porridge with chicken").

In college, I got the nerve to learn to make chicken soup from scratch. I've always wanted to learn to make matzo balls on my own, but alas, this last 'bout of sickness zapped all energy I had to figure 'em out. Instead, I boiled the bones from my roasted chicken and turned the homemade broth into a simple soup of chicken, shallots, frozen peas, and quinoa.

p.s. I made the unfortunate mistake of adding more quinoa before my first 3/4 c. fully cooked. I added another half c. and came back to a pot of quinoa porridge! Hey, even mistakes (or surprises?) can be tasty =)

Boston Winter Restaurant Week(s) is Here!

2008-02-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

Do your homework, then book your reservation.

Dates: March 9 - 14 & 16 - 21, 2008
Lunch: $20.08. Dinner: $30.08

p.s. It took three years worth of attempts, but I finally got my Mooo... (the restaurant formerly known as the Federalist) reservation.

My Boston Let's-Go-Out-and-Eat Map

2008-02-15T18:13:00.002-05:00

Clearly, I haven't even made a dent in the many places to eat in this city. This will serve as my standing list of places I'm interested in trying. If you want to join me for an adventure at any of these places, pals, please do. This map and my other food map will live on my navigation bar, but feel free to the RSS feed of each map.

Like the other map, I try to denote cheaper eats and the far-out-road trippin' locales.

Hit "View Larger Map" to read all my tasting notes on each location

View Larger Map

My Boston Food Map

2008-02-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

This is a map of some tasty places I've been around Boston. Some places are more noteworthy than others, and I tried to add some color commentary and color-code some $ differences. I'm not sure the best way of keeping track of new changes while still maintaining order of the list. Any suggestions?

View Larger Map

After fondly reminiscing about these old haunts, I'm thinking about making one of my favorite eateries while at college.

ficoco goodness

2008-02-15T16:26:00.001-05:00

I love bread and crackers: that's probably why I love tasty items that can be spread and eaten of said carby treats. Ficoco is an all-natural, Croatian fig and chocolate spread. It's definitely more "figgy" than chocolately with a very light spreadable consistency. I took advice from Stacey to buy it from Whole Foods, where they demoed it by mixing it 50/50 with softened cream cheese and serving it on mini-toast crackers.

One of the recommended serving suggestions includes drizzling it over ice-cream, but I'm not that brave. It's worth a try if you see it!

What did I drink? Pedroncelli Winery 2004 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2007 Stanford Alumni Club wine selection. I offered the ficoco treat and the wine to coworkers as a Friday afternoon reward in exchange for helping the Research team stuff Dunkin' Donuts gift cards.

Marco's is really, truly a favorite

2007-12-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

a tasty b'dinner to remember thanks to Stephen at Marco Cucina Romana

saffron/fontina arancini w/ marinara
papradelle with duck meatballs (it appealed to the Chinese palate - think slmost chow fun-like texture with the yumminess of duck)
butternut squash risotto with crispy pork (braised, then deep fried hunk o pork)
roasted broccoli rabe
roasted lamb with polenta frites (polenta so cheesy, you'd think it was a polenta cheeto)
chocolate panna cotta (just perfect on the texture and flavor)
and fabulous wine

mama chang's pork and chive dumplings

2007-12-02T21:09:00.001-05:00

double oyster omelette

2007-12-02T20:32:00.001-05:00

hakka eggplant

2007-12-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

myers+chang - Visit #1

2007-12-02T20:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.myspace.com/myersandchang - www.myersandchang.com - 1145 Washington St. Boston

On a whim, I asked Esteban to drop me off at Myers and Chang, a new Asian food joint by lovely Flour Bakery diva, Joanne Chang (and restaurant guru Christopher Myers). All I had was an intersection, and will of appetite. I couldn't find an exact address since the restaurant "website" wouldn't appear in my mobile Google searches and because the restaurant was unlisted in Google-411. Yuck.

After a couple of spins around the block and with the help of a friendly police officer we made our way there in the dark of Boston nightfall. You would think a building with an entire wall dragon graphic in the window would be obvious, even in the dark, but it's not.

I sat myself at the counter overlooking the open kitchen. I remained unphased by the chinese newspaper diy placemats and empty tea tin utensil/menu holders. The server was nice, even helpful when it came to pick out my items, but he reeked of cigarette smoke. Not hot. My mini-dinner lasted only about 40 min., which was fantastic. [It meant I could rush home in time for Stacey's chicken adobo.] Here are some brief tasting notes.

Ginger/Plum Sparkling Juice.

Wow! This refeshment was super tasty! The plum happened to be a substitution for their regular Ginger/Cherry sparkler, but the just-enough sweet, super fresh flavor of plum and steady ginger finish couldn't have been more well-balanced. I'd want it as a martini one day.

Mama Chang's Pork and Chive Dumplings.

Meh. People on the blogs have been raving about her potstickers. They were decent, but didn't wow me. The fillings were well balanced and had adequate chive flavors and were well salted. I was only a little disappointed because the skins, while nicely browned, had a very store bought, ordinary texture. I just wanted something a little more luxurious-feeling in my mouth. I think I got 5 pieces in the order and at the first three without trouble. I ended up just gutting the last two before I left to get my money's worth.

Hakka Eggplant.

Super tasty. I knew I had to order this because of an interview I read with Joanne. When asked (as were a number of hot shot Boston chefs) where she goes for good cheap eats, Joanne picked the garlic eggplant from Taiwan Cafe. She definitely improved on the extra gooey/sometimes oily failings of the Taiwan Cafe version. The egglant pieces were perfectly seared an defintely not overdone. They were just enough saucey and garlicy.

Double Oyster Omlette w/ sriracha/"rooster sauce" in Felicia speak.

Hurray! I liked this dish a lot. The exterior of the omlette was nicely browned. The fresh oysters were plump and delicious! And the spring onion and sweetened sriracha made every savory bite worth it. It definitely beat the tinned mini-oyster omlettes of my youth. It's so good, I'll make it a point to bring my mommy here should she come to visit!

Shanghai Gate

2007-06-12T05:58:00.000-04:00

After softball on Friday a group of us decided to go to dinner. We were in Brookline Hills, so I thought we'd end up some place typical for the beer crowd. Perhaps Bertucci's?

Bless our team captain, Ted, for suggesting Chinese food instead.

From the confused looks of others, I hoped to lend a worthwhile suggestion: Shanghai Gate?

Shanghai Gate opened up the year I lived in Allston. The minute it opened I knew I had to try it. The menu was small, the setting was s. clean, and it's patrons were almost exclusively Asian. I've been in love with it ever since.

We inevitably go just for the Lion Head Casserole, a Shanghai-style oversized pork meatball served with single piece of baby bok choi and thin soy gravy. It's absolutely tender and salty, with subtle contrasting bits (of water chestnuts?). We've on occasion taken the meatballs to-go just so we could eat them with rice at home. Stephen, a connoisseur of Shanghai food in his own right, says they're one of the top two Lion Head Casserole he's had outside of China.

They also serve stir-fried pea shoots ("pea pod stems" on the menu). It's a simple, huge portion of crispy, tender veggie in a little garlic and oil and salt. They are an excellent, better tasting alternative to spinach. It as a first-time veggie for two in our group, but a big hit. The xiao long bao (pork dumpling with soup on the inside!) was added a year or so into the restaurant menu. It's gotten a lot better since. It's especially nice with the black vinegar and ginger dipping sauce.

I haven't tried to many of the cold appetizers, but specials and fish dishes are always winners. Here's a Phoenix review if you're curious. If you're up for a wild and crazy dish, ask for the corn pancake. a slightly sweet, enormous corn fritter.

Asia Fabulous II - Debriefed

2007-05-07T18:32:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was pretty awesome. Pretty much everyone who said they'd come visited the house and joined us for an afternoon of eating and drinking outside in the sunshine. The bonus is that our house is really quite clean and attractive-looking.

beverages included Thai and Malay iced teas and mimosas

dishes included "filichino" pancit, Korean bi bim bap, penang curry, korean-fried tofu with a chili soy sauce, asian salad, adobo wings & hard boiled eggs (we ran low on the chicken and I couldn't stand wasting all the gravy goodness), Shanghai baby bok choy with veggie oyster sauce and toasted sesame seeds, & char siu bao

desserts included Vietnamese seamed sweet mung bean-filled glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaf, egg tarts, Asian cakes via baobaobakery, mango mochi, & sweet red bean buns

The main party crowd left and the die hards moved inside for gender war taboo. Then the babies came! Lisa brought both Holly and their doggie Acer. Jesse came by with Isaiah, too!

In all, good times were had and bellies left full. Until next year's Asia Fabulous!

Asia Fabulous

2007-05-03T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a second annual potluck with my roommates in honor of APA heritage month. It's always interesting what people decide to bring.

Working Menu Basics for Potluck
* Adobo Wings
* Veggie Pancit
* Chicken Pancit
* Thai Iced Tea
* Teh Tarek
* Vietnamese Sticky Rice & stuff wrapped in Banana Leaf
* Asian Snacky-Snacks (shrimp chips and chocolate Pocky)

Potluck Contributions
* dumplings
* curry
* Kalbi
* More TBA

Cooking to Discover Your Roots

2007-04-20T13:19:00.000-04:00

I've always imagined that I'd one day want to spend time travelling Malaysia and the Philippines to learn how to go about authentically preparing foods from the homelands. So many of my cookbooks and food memories have compelled me to spend more time understanding what I eat through a more historical and political context.

The cookbook Memories of Philippine Kitchens does just that. It explores chapters by region and by distinct Philippine dishes. And more than just a cookbook it provides family and cultural history behind recipes and ingredients. The authors, restaurateurs in NYC, do a wonderful job of why describing we eat what we eat. I particularly love their research about where dishes originated and how they were named. It's a huge volume and makes interesting reading.

Taco Mex - Yummy Tortas y Pupusas

2007-02-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

The roommates with out-of-towners Vicki and Percy ate lunch today at Taco Mex, a Mexican/Latin American restaurant in East Boston's Maverick Square. I had a Pork Adabado Torta - slightly spicy and sour marinated pork.. mmm. The bread was oustanding as was the portion size for $4.75. The chicaronnes pupusa was also a winner. The burritos were reported standard but satisfying, and Thuy approved of the sweet plantains.

I was also happy to try the special drink of the day, atol de elote, beverage made from corn, milk, sugar and cinnamon (lika a corn version of horchata).

6 of us ate well under $50 with tip. The place seats groups of up to 4 comfortably. 5 0r 6 max can sit with the help of extra chairs.

california food log

2006-11-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

SoCal:
Jamba Juice - Aloha Pineapple!
Jack in the Box - Grilled Chicken Sourdough Jack
Sprinkles (Beverly Hills) - Red Velvet and Coconut cupcakes!
Denny's - Extreme Slam

Bay Area/Stanford:
Punkins (Pittsburg)
Del Taco
Crepes A-go-go - House special with avocado. Condiment of choice? Rooster Sauce!
Pluto's (Palo Alto) -Farmer's Salad with grilled flank steak and slice of herb slab focaccia. Why can't salads be this tasty in Boston?
The Tree House - Grilled Chicken Quesadilla with pico de gallo and guacamole. Tastes like college.
Jamba Juice - Bright-eyed and blueberry. Creamy and delicious!
Cafe Verde - Black frothy milk tea, no pearls. Classic. Frothy. Yummy.
Rose and Crown - Basket of fish and chips with a tall glass of Stella.

Expensive Cupcakes

2006-11-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/
per Jennifer's suggestion, Eddie and I made the Trek to Beverly Hills to find the Red Velvet cupcake from Sprinkles. It was pretty darn good, especially for being over 3 bucks for a normal sized cupcake.

note to self

2006-10-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

one heaping table spoon (a spoon for cereal) is just shy of 50 grams.

Cheap Bar Food

2006-07-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

McCormick & Schmick's is a national seafood chain. I've actually never dined in the dining room, but I've been many a time to the bar during the after work $1.95 happy "hour." During these magical hours (about 3:30 - 6:30 and 9:30?) you can get a quarter pound cheese burger with fries, quesadilla, etc. I usually spring for a plate of mussels for an extra three bucks. Not surprisingly, since it's a seafood restaurant, the mussels are almost always plump and steamed to perfection.

Sam Adams Summer Ale is a nice compliment.

Two Boston Locations.

Out of Control Cupcakes!!!

2006-06-22T22:56:00.000-04:00

Today was our office manager's birthday, and you know what that means? Mandatory birthday cake. I was given the charge of finding birthday cupcakes in under two hours. I turned to a bakery I've been hearing lots of buzz about, Lulu's Bake Shoppe. Lulu's is probably the North End's no-canoli establishment. Instead they serve outstanding cupcakes. Chocolate and vanilla cake and butter cream frosting may sound boring, but when executed well are pretty darn amazing! Most of the office people couldn't believe something so tasty wasn't homemade.

The frosting doesn't look like "regular" frosting. It has a translucent quality that's no where near as opaque as regular stuff. I suspect this is because the frosting uses only butter and absolutely no shortening!!! The taste is surprisingly great, but that's what you'd expect of pure butter. It's rich and sweet, but is still very enjoyable. The absence of shortening makes it easier to consume frosting, although not having a very strong sweet tooth, I ended up "wiping off" most of my frosting. I'd recommend trying a chocolate cupcake.

I'll definitely go back. Why? The S'more Cupcake...

Bottom line. Lulu's makes a super addition to my list of under 2 dollar treats, but I'm not leaving Beard Papa's chocolate fondant anytime soon.

Rodan - Bar serving Asian and/or South American food

2006-05-08T13:09:00.000-04:00

Brian took me to Rodan when I visited him in Chicago. The most outstanding display of taters I've had in two years was a plate of wasabi tempura battered fries served with spicy peanut and honey wasabi sauces. I don't normally enjoy anything wasabi but these made a pleasant exception in my book.

COLOR - Fine Korean Cuisine

2006-05-01T16:31:00.000-04:00

Way too tasty Korean food in Allston on Harvard Ave., one block north of the Harvard Ave. stop on the B-Line.

A plate of the sweet, spicy, deep-fried signature dish - the Chef's Special Chicken - is worth a trip by itself. One thing that stands out as truly Korean is the bottomless roasted corn tea (hot, but you can request cold) served at every table. Other things that stand out are the little girl bedroom decor, dum dums with your check, and the closed-on-Sundays policy.

Thai restaurant fulfills smoothie craving

2006-04-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

Went to Montien's Inman Square location (www.montiencambridge.com) last night with Drea. It's a new second location for the highly-rated Boston Thai joint. I really like their curries, so it was a little dissapointing when the food wasn't as spicy as it was when we ordered takeout, but all in all it was pretty good. Though perhaps a little lack luster.

Great things.
Pineapple Smoothie - taller than a pilsner glass of what is almost a pineapple lassi
Decor is full of rich reds and dark hardwood

Good things.
Thai Calamari served with sesame- ginger soy sauce (though it could not compete in portion size to anything an North End restaurant might serve)
Honey Banana - reminded me of mini-turon

Not so great things.
The Pla Kra Pow(Fried Fish Filet Basil) tasted fishy
The Pad Thai (chicken n shrimp) tasted fishy
The ice water had a strange lemon/metallic/minerally finish

How to pronounce "Zagat"

2005-06-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

Okay. So I am a nut, I admit it. Before moving to Boston I pronounced Zagat as in Zagat Survey, as ZA-git (rhymes with maggot). After hanging around Stephen and his pals, I got into the habit of accepting the pronounciation, za-GHAT (the gat rhyming with not).

But to settle things once and for all I have just visited zagat.com to find the key to pronouncing the silly name.

za-GAT' - rhymes with "the cat"

buffet woes

2005-06-08T19:03:00.000-04:00

thank goodness summer is here. the uncontrolable urge to eat passed last Wednesday only to have been trampled by the mandatory going away outing to Minado, a Japanese buffet out in the burbs. Seriously, I ate my first raw and cooked oysters. they were okay. Overall it wasn't even as good as West Coast chain buffet, Todai, but it wasn't as bad as I feared I could have been.

Oh the best little Japanese cookies EVER!

2005-05-28T22:01:00.001-04:00

Okay, so Emily, a friend from church, just came back from a "vay-cay" up to Japan and Taiwan. She didn't find the slouchy socks I wanted, but she did bring back some super tasty cookies =) made by Yoku Moku. Simple, all-natural butter cookies with smattering of nuts and milk chocolate. State-side we can find them at high-end department stores.

even the Nieman Marcus web-site.

"French" chocolate cake

2005-03-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is another recipe that Marie-Ange shared with me (after much pleading). it's enough for one 8/9-in pan. It's so wonderful that you don't need any frosting!!! Think light and decadent.

"Anne-Marie's Chocolate Cake"

125 g dark chocolate (use Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate which is *amazing* or another best-quality semi-sweet chocolate)
125 g granulated sugar
125 g butter
2 T. Flour
2 T. Milk
3 eggs, separated

- Melt chocolate and milk over a double boiler until it forms a smooth paste
- Slowly add butter,
- ...Sugar
- ...Yolks
- ...Flour
- Remove boiler from the heat.
- Whip egg whites into stiff peaks (using an electric mixer)
- Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture

Bake in a 200-degree Celsius for 15-20 min. Test for doneness with the tip of a paring knife. If it comes out clean, you're in business. Cool cake and enjoy!

Cafe Brazil

2005-03-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

Our old housemate, Bart, came back last week from Belgium to attend a conference. We had a reunion dinner at Cafe Brazil. Everything was solid. Wine choices. Beef, chicken, fish... mmm, the mashed potatoes were awesome. And most of all, the service was super friendly and attentive. Our server was especially good at explaining Brazilian food in general and recommending good choices.

Marie-Ange's Recipes

2005-03-03T19:00:00.001-05:00

Quiche Lorraine (without shortcrust)

3 eggs
1/2 litter milk
125 g Flour
100 g Ham (smoked pork belly)
100 g emmental
salt
pepper

mix all
cook 1/2 hours

Quiche Lorraine

shortcrust dough(250g flour, 125 g butter, water, salt)
3 eggs
1/2 litter milk (heavy cream)
ham
Emmental (optional)
Salt
pepper

Mari-Ange's always sets the oven at 480-F and she gets extremely good results in our oven. Keep an eye on things, but amazingly, everything comes out perfect in about half an hour.

Crepes

3 eggs
250 g flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of oil
500 ml milk
(for an authentic flair, add Calvados but rum or cognac should be ok)

Mix eggs and dry ingredients first until they form a thick paste. Then slowly add milk until it the consistency is close to oil's. Quick cook them on a lightly oiled, hot skillet.

Is this a sign of growing up?

2005-03-02T15:03:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it. This morning, out of desperation, I "created" a new breakfast item. A toaster waffle sandwich made of Nutrigrain Eggo Waffles and slices of double-cream Brie. This surprising low-brow/high-brow union tasted amazing, but presented the questions, "Is something about this picture totally wrong?" "What sort of person does this?" "How does this sandwich reflect on me?"

I'm not as concerned about the cultural consequences of combining the two as I was this morning, but it does mark a change in the nature of my disposable income if nothing else.

costco pine nut pesto

2005-02-21T21:20:00.000-05:00

just so i don't forget...
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 c. pine nuts
2 c. basil leaves
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. grated parmesan
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
blend and the end!

Cravings...

2005-02-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

Today, I'd like to share my love of Zaftigs, a modern Jewish deli [read: not-strictly Kosher, e.g. they serve ham and bacon], located in Brookline. The two mile walk/bus ride is worth it every time. And it should, since the only dish I consistently order is the meatloaf sandwich plate.

Mmm. The meatloaf is never dry and is so amazing paired with fresh tomatoes, cheese, and cajun ketchup, not to mention the perfectly done french fries. The crispy, well-seasoned, battered fries are like nothing else I've ever had. They're thick enough to enjoy the crunchy outside batter and the creamy, steaming hot insides. Double mmm.

Now the coffee is good. The knish, blintzes, and bagel chips are great standards too., but unfortunately, the latkes are just a little too salty. I'm told that other favorites like banana-stuffed challah french toast and the macintosh apple-cheddar omelet are supposed to be great, but I've yet to stray away from the meatloaf to try. Perhaps one day soon...