Dudes on Foods

It's Been a Hard Days Night...

2012-01-25T05:41:00.000-05:00

Fiore's Deli

2012-01-17T06:30:00.001-05:00

Moving out to the burbs, we were pretty damn lucky finding tons of delicious ethnic foods - mexican, japanese, chinese, turkish, etc. - not the watered down versions you find in most suburbs. However, the one thing I miss the most is the Italian sandwiches of Hoboken. It doesn't get any better than Fiore's Deli (414 Adams Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030) where they make their own mozzarella on site (or "mutz" by the locals). They have some delicious specials like the roast beef|gravy and the insanely addicting virginia ham|honey mustard gravy.

But, as a purist, I dig the mutz on a roll. The mutz here is perfect - it's juicy, has great milky flavor, perfect texture, and is nicely salted. All the sandwich places near me serve dry mozzarella that don't have that great milky flavor.

Wayfare Tavern - Review

2012-01-16T15:36:00.008-05:00

Intro
Wayfare Tavern - Dude Grade: C+
558 Sacramento St, San Francisco 94111
Btwn Montgomery & Leidsdorff St
Phone: (415) 772-9060

During our short stay in San Francisco, we wanted to stop by the Wayfare Tavern - Tyler Florence's joint in the financial district. I'm a fan of his original Tyler Ultimate shows where he travels around the world trying to find the ultimate version of a dish. Also, I was searching around the internet and there seemed to be a positive buzz about this place. My only concern was after going to the lights out "Fremont Diner" this place wouldn't match up. I was 100% spot on although they do similar American comfort food (Wayfare a lil fancier), Fremont Diner is on another level.

Our Menu
Popover *
Instead of bread they serve these fun popovers to start your meal. These had great flavor, but the texture wasn't as light and airy as I would expect - crunchy, but a little heavy and doughy. Still pretty fun though.

Monterey Bay Sardines **
roasted garlic, parsley butter, herb bread crumbs, lemon
These were awesome - sardines were so friggin flavorful and the topping perfectly complemented the flavor of the fishies. Pretty damn addicting and satisfying.

Organic Fried Chicken
buttermilk brine, roasted garlic, crisp woody herbs, lemon
I was looking forward to this the most and I recognized this from his tyler's ultimate show where he went to Cesare Casella's joint Beppe to have the lemon fried chicken. Unfortunately, this was a big swing and a miss for me. Fremont Diner hit the nail on the head hitting every criteria for the perfect fried chicken for me. Wayfare's has a soggy crust (egg based only I think) and the chicken is dry as well. The crust is fun with herbs and lemon, but still a pass for me. On a side note, it is pretty damn tasty cold in the morning.

Grilled Bone-In Pork Chop *
black pepper spaetzle, braised cabbage, spiced apple pulp, grained mustard cream
I love me some pork chop and this is decent. Spaetzle is solid and the combo of all the components are pretty fun. The one thing that seemed weird is the pork tasted like deli meat ham - not sure if this was due to the cure/brine, but that wasn't what I was looking for. More of a straight pork flavor. The Hudson House in Nyack, NY serves up what I consider the perfect pork chop.

Sticky Toffee Cake **
This was my favorite dish of the night. Moist toffee cake and delicious with the sweet dates. Even though I was relatively full after all that protein, we still killed this toffee cake since it was so damn delicious.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (C+) – Decent comfort food, but nothing to write home about. The drinks did kick ars though. The picture to the right is the stage coach (Rye, Amaro, Blood Orange Liqueur, Bitters.), a take on the manhattan but waaaay more delicious.
Service (B) – Server was friendly and offered up some good recommendations. They were on top of their game getting drinks filled right away. Food came out a very solid pace.
Atmosphere (B) – Felt like an old school upscale bar which I definitely dig. Place was absolutely mobbed for a Thursday at 5:45 - first floor is the bar area with the dining on the second floor. The place looked like a combo of half tourists (prolly due to Tyler) and half financial district groups. It is pretty dark though.
Price (C) – Not terrible. $22 for the fried chicken and $29 for the pork chop. However, the food isn't that great for the price.

Closing Comments
I wanted to like this place, but there's gotta be a ton of other places that do this style of food better.

OJ in Trouble

2012-01-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

No, no - not the murdering one. Looks like Tropicana is getting sued for adding "aromas and flavors" to their "100% pure and natural" orange juice. Basically, they probably boiled the crap out of those oranges and add chemicals to make them taste like oranges again.

Funny, since late last year, 60 minutes aired a good segment about the "flavorists" that talked about how these companies put chemicals in just about every single packaged product.

Next time you open up a package of chips or drink a tasty beverage - check out the packaging. Natural flavors - that should be OK right?

"Natural flavors come from nature, but not necessarily from what the label implies. For example, strawberry and vanilla flavor can come from the gland in a beaver's backside."

Pseudo Italian White Bean Stew

2012-01-11T06:30:00.001-05:00

With the colder weather hitting the East Coast, I decided to use the new pressure cooker to whip up a white bean and sausage stew. Generally, beans take way too much planning and time to make from scratch - overnight soak, then another 60 minutes to cook 'em. But, the pressure cooker is so damn convenient - 5 minute "pressure soak" and another 5 minute "pressure cook."

Double benefit for buying raw beans is the cost is phenomenal @ 47 cents for 3 cups which is good for 6 peeps. I don't think I've ever paid 47c for anything in the past 5 years. Also, the texture and flavor on these things are amazing - firm, yet creamy. After you make beans at home, you'll never go back to buying the canned stuff.

Ingredients
3 cups raw cannellini beans
1 carrot - peeled and cut into large dice
1 red onion diced
5 stalks of collard greens sliced
2 sausages (I used stone barns which are phenomenal)
1 garlic clove minced
4 stalks thyme - leaves only, minced
2 stalks rosemary - leaves only, minced
multigrain bread
6 cups chicken stock
extra virgin olive oil
parmiggiano-reggiano

1) Pressure soak the beans to remove the compounds that make you "toot," remove the nastiness coating some of the beans, and make it much quicker to cook. Do this by adding the beans and 6 cups water (double amount of beans) to the pressure cooker. Get the pressure cooker to do it's pressure thang, then cook for 5 minutes and set aside. Once the pressure subsides (another 5 minutes), take the beans out and rinse everything. This normally is soaked overnight, so you saved a ton of time.

2) Sear the sausages over medium heat in the pressure cooker uncovered. Once browned on both sides remove and place in a pyrex container. There should be a good amount of sausage fat/juice to start the flavor base for the stew.

3) Finish the sausage in the oven at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes and slice.

4) Start pressure cooking the stew by adding the thyme, rosemary, carrots, garlic, onions, soaked/rinsed beans, and chicken stock. Get the pressure going, then cook for 5 minutes and set aside. Once the pressure subsides, open up the pressure cooker. Finish by adding the sausage pieces with it's juices, olive oil, and season gently. Season again and repeat until you like the taste. Finish with parmiggiano-reggiano. Make sure you have some bread to soak up the juices since it's pretty damn tasty. Buon appetito!

TV Shows: San Francisco

2012-01-09T22:11:00.003-05:00

Watched the shows "Hook, Line, and Dinner" and "The Layover" and found out they went to my faves Swan Oyster Depot and Tadich Grill.

Over the xmas break, we stopped by both and I will happily say they are still my happy happy places. Next time, I'll see if I can swing the secret off menu item oyster stew or the fresh uni from Swan - tid bits I learned from watching both shows...

Pictured below Swan Oyster Combo Seafood Salad with Anchor Steam. And, the delicious Cioppino from Tadich Grill.

Annisa - Review

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

Intro
Annisa - Dude Grade: C+
13 Barrow St, New York 10014
(Btwn 7th Ave S & W 4th St)
Phone: (212) 741-6699

I was looking for a place to take out the wife for her birthday and I thought Annisa would be a fun place to try. The wife generally likes more casual places with fun Asian influences, so Annisa sounded like it would fit the bill. Plus, it was ranked 15th on Adam Platt's Top 101 restaurants in NYC list. There were definitely some delicious things on the menu, but it seemed a bit inconsistent with some total misses. Not bad by any means and the wife and I had a nice night out. Apologies for the dark pictures - there were a couple sitting right next to us, so didn't want to blow up their romantic night by rocking the flash on the camera.

Our Menu
Chicken Livers Amuse **
The first bite of the night and it was pretty delicious. Smooth and airy chicken livers with great flavor topped with some dried fruit in a delicate crunchy tart.

Eggplant with Two Turkish Chilis in Yogurt Water
Two cold eggplants that were stuffed with two types of chiles. Average flavor and something that you might get from an average deli. Yogurt water was gimmicky - sour and a little cooling effect to play off the chiles.

Unagi and Taro Chawan Mushi **
Great texture and incredibly addicting to eat. Egg custard with pieces of unagi, crispy taro, delicious broth, and perfectly cooked rice.

Broiled Spanish Mackerel with Garlic Fried Milk, Satsumaimo and Korean Chili *
Mackerel was cooked nicely, but what made this pop was the kimchi type sauce. Really delicious sauce that played off wonderfully against the oily fish. Definitely going to steal that idea next time I try to cook a fancy pants fish dish at home.

Rabbit with Red Scallions and Japanese Curry
Think thin fried chicken cutlet cut into chicken strips, but replace rabbit with the chicken. It was dry and under seasoned. The curry was pretty average as well. The thigh meat was delicious though.

Poppyseed Bread and Butter Pudding with Meyer Lemon Curd **
Really moist, buttery, and creamy bread pudding. Probably the best bread pudding I've ever had. Delicious with the bright lemon curd.

Pear Posset with Elderflower and Shiso*
A nice light dessert - posset is generally made with cream I believe, but this was much lighter. Nice bright touches with the shiso

Petit Four *
Papaya lollipop, candied ginger, and chocolate nuts. Fun, light bites to close out the evening.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (C+) – A couple of great dishes, but a couple of misses. Meal felt pretty inconsistent.
Service (C+) – Server was very friendly, but the food took a while to come out. Also, it was tough to get the servers attention to get a drink.
Atmosphere (B) – A pretty small spot seating maybe 50 or under. Place was on the darker side and was relatively quiet. It was pretty clean and very white - walls, tablecloths, etc. Clientele consisted of half couples 20's-40's and large groups wearing suits. Place was completely full for a Monday night around 9ish.
Price (B-) – $78 for 5 courses at an upper echelon restaurant is a solid deal. Unfortunately, some slight misses on the service and food take it down a notch for me.

Closing Comments
A decent restaurant, but not my cup of tea. If I want this style of food, I would hit up any Momofuku as you're guaranteed to have all delicious dishes. If you are looking for a more peaceful setting like Annisa with this style of food, I would go to En Japanese Brasserie nearby.

Bolognese Sunday Morning

2012-01-08T10:24:00.000-05:00

Is it wrong to start off the day with a healthy serving of Spaghetti
Bolognese?

I say "No".

This is a meal fit for the King of Kings and Defender of Mankind.

Pot au Feu

2012-01-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

>
> Requested by the wife.
> One if our Winter favorites.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

2012-01-06T08:28:00.005-05:00

What can I say about this place that hasn't been said already? I loved it.
This is clearly one of those places public schools should have on their short list of destinations for class trips.
I am willing to argue a field trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns is just as important as a class trip to the Smithsonian.
Animal husbandry, symbiotic sustainability, organic agriculture, should all be part of a child's vocabulary growing up. Unfortunately we are light years from such reality here in the US.

But this guy is a believer and will do what he can to hopefully make a difference for our future.

Marrowfat Peas

2012-01-05T06:30:00.001-05:00

To celebrate the new year of the dragon, my buddy Pat decided to share the Irish treasure known as Marrowfat Peas. His family swears by this stuff, so I decided to give it a try. Although the name says Marrowfat, I don't believe this is cooked in bone marrow...though that would be mighty tasty.

The texture is pretty substantial and creamy having some decent pea flavor with a hint of sweetness and mint. Also, these things are like mutant peas not the tiny petit peas you see in the frozen section of your local mega mart. Pretty solid stuff and it kinda reminds me of split pea soup which I do love...

Pressure Cooker - First Try

2012-01-04T06:30:00.001-05:00

After watching top chef many a time, I was always intrigued by the use of the pressure cooker - that damn lid won't close and they've got 30 minutes left! I finally got one of these bad boys for xmas and I was pretty shocked that it destroys any food in a very short period of time. The lid is actually very easy to close although when the pressure builds up and the thing is hissing, it's quite scary for the first time.

Any who, I took some beef brisket that had 0 fat on it and pressure cooked it for one hour and it was fall apart delicious - asian'd it up with 5 spice powder, soy, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic, and scallions (pretty damn delicious with rice btw). Usually, something like that would take me a good 2-3 hours to make the beef not have the texture of leather. The only problem was I cut up some carrots and potatoes and pressure cooked it for only 3 minutes (!!!) at the end and it turned to mush. Gotta play with the timings, but pretty awesome when you're short on time and want to cook up some delicious stews.

In-N-Out Burger - Review

2012-01-03T06:30:00.001-05:00

Intro
In-N-Out Burger - Dude Grade: A
1159 N Rengstorff Ave
Mountain View, CA 94043

This is my third trip to the bay area and I've always heard about how good this In-N-Out burger is - hell, even the deified Thomas Kellar loves this place. We are actually pretty damn lucky in the NYC area with a ton of burger options - the fast food joints (Five Guys, Smashburger, etc) and the sit down joints: (JG Melon, Prime Meats, Minetta Tavern).

For a fast food burger joint, In-N-Out Burger is friggin awesome. Hands down the best fast food burger I've ever had - categorized by me as something you can order and get within 5-10 minutes either take out or sit-down.

Our Menu
Double - Double ***
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions, and bun. Sounds familiar right (minus the pickles and sesame seed bun)? Wrong. This thing is a totally different animal than the Big Mac. The bun, which is baked fresh, is light and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. The patties have great texture to it and is seasoned beautifully with decent beef flavor for a fast food joint. Even the damn lettuce, tomato, and onions feel like they've been picked from a local grocery store and cut for you. Everything about this thing is awesome. A big wtf for me that this place actually matches the hype serving an awesome fast food burger.

Animal Fries *
Fries are actually hand cut there and they're pretty good. Not great by any means and five guys definitely takes them down here - better potato flavor and crispier. Animal style is off their secret menu - basically adding grilled onions, pickles, and special sauce.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Service I was pretty amazed about how they run their operations. It's totally the ford assembly model with everyone working very focused and efficiently. Completely floored since I'm used to the lazy arses you usually see at McD's and BK not paying attention and taking their sweet ars time. It does take 5-10 minutes for the burger, but that's because they're cooking and preparing your burger there - not using a microwave like bk or mcd's.

Closing Comments
Definitely the best fast food burger I've ever had - for those of you pointing to Shake Shack that place is average. Although In-N-Out makes the best fast food burger, this by no means is the best burger I've ever had. Prime Meats takes the cake and you can go to a ton of other joints in NYC (e.g JG Melon) for a better burger. I guess I'll have to hit up Blue 9 Burger if I ever want to satisfy the In-N-Out burger craving since they do a pretty damn good rendition of this style of burger and serve it pretty fast too.

Benu - Review

2012-01-02T09:00:00.008-05:00

Intro
Benu - Dude Grade: A+
22 Hawthorne St
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 685-4860

I've had a lot of fun on this blog documenting 261 dining experiences across the globe. But, this meal at Benu may have been the best dining experience I've ever had. The guys at Benu, led by the former executive chef of the French Laundry, are doing some ridiculous things here. First the plates are extraordinarily beautiful - so much work and detail for each dish. Then, the technique - everything is perfectly balanced and seasoned. Also, I hate molecular nonsense...unless, the food is delicious and this my friends is incredibly delicious (WD-50 take note). The final thing for me is it's so damn fun to eat here as it evokes so many memories from so many Asian meals as a child or as an adult, like Anton Ego from Ratatouille. I can't recommend this place enough - big time wtf restaurant.

Our Menu
buckwheat and toasted nori wafers **
A delicious bread alternative that sets you in the mindset of what is about to come. The buckwheat flavor definitely comes out and the nori adds that savory pop.

thousand year-old quail egg, potage, ginger ***
First dish and it was a doozy. I usually lean towards the big bold flavors, but this was a wtf for perfect balance that was subtly flavored. The quail egg was so delicious and creamy and the potage was a delicious light creamy foam that had that background hint of ginger. My wife's favorite of the night.

oyster, pork belly, kimchi ***
Next dish and this was a close your eyes type of bite - a big wtf wmd. Kimchi stock was gelatinized and formed the skin which was filled with super porky pork belly and a perfectly briny/creamy oyster. The best kimche chigae flavor in one awesome bite. Lights out and probably the best thing I've eaten all year.

monkfish liver, caviar, pistachio, cauliflower, lemon jelly, brioche **
Love this dish - taking the "foie gras of the sea" and treating it like real foie gras with the accompanying ingredients. The pistachio cream was so awesome with the monkfish liver and slightly reminded me of le cirque, but done even more elegantly. Great combination of textures (cauliflower) and flavor (salty pop from caviar and brightness from the jelly). Also, such a beautiful plate - the pictures don't do it justice.

jasmine chicken with dates *
A really fragrant and beautiful dish which they encourage you to smell first - beautiful floral jasmine notes. The chicken had this really smooth/solid texture, no meat fibers here - me thinks some chemicals were involved. Fun dish that was pretty tasty with the dates and jasmine water.

eel, feuille de brick, creme fraiche, lime **
Another dish that I love. This was one of the many plates that seemed made just for this place - the eel cigar sits perfectly in this groove on the plate. They even think of wrapping it in paper so you don't burn your hands and get it greasy. This crispy fried cigar with delicious eel inside was crazy addicting with the bright limed-up creme fraiche.

chilled homemade tofu, pumpkin juice, black truffle ***
This dish made absolutely no sense to me, but it was so damn delicious which made for a wtf moment. The tofu was beautifully made and had this great texture and the pumpkin juice was slightly sweet/sour perfumed by the truffles. Again, not in my normal flavor profile, but it worked out so well. Big time wtf.

salt and pepper squid **
This dish made me smile as it brought back so many childhood memories. Salt and pepper squid is their take on the chinese classic. But like most of his dishes the simple description does not fully explain what is going on here - kinda like saying Leo DiCaprio occasionally dates. He uses a shrimp chip for the serving vessel which adds flavoring and crunchiness. Then he studs squid, crunchy bits, and jalapeno which completes the whole experience. If you get everything in one bite, it really does mimic an awesome salt and pepper squid with more flavor and texture. So awesome and fun to eat.

chicken velvet, abalone, matustake mushroom, chrysanthemum **
This dish reminded me of a chinese fish ball soup - except in chicken form. The texture of the chicken dumpling was so light and airy. What gave this real delicious oomph was the amazing broth with the abalone and shaved matustake mushrooms. Incredibly delicious.

caramelized anchovy, lily bulb, peanut, pickles **
Another dish - another memory. This dish reminded me of the korean banchan - the small dishes served before a korean meal. There was this anchovy gelatin that was in the middle that was extremely delicious (a little sweet / a little meaty) with little crispy anchovies all over the place. Sprinkle in some pickled cucumbers and daikon and you had an awesome flavor bomb.

foie gras xiao long bao *
This was the dish I looked forward to the most as I've read so many internet reviews raving about this dish. Although it was a tasty dish, I was expecting an all foie gras explosion - a bit misleading. This was still real fun to eat, but the filling seemed like 80 or 90% pork studded with foie gras. Skins were very thin with no chance of breaking and the broth was solid. Kinda felt like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I was expecting one thing and got something else.

fresh noodles, shrimp roe, tarragon, veal jus **
Noodles and sauce had amazing texture - so addicting and even an Italian would be extremely happy eating this. The sauce flavor was out of control also with the veal and shrimp.

duck, celery, chestnut, persimmon, shaoxing wine **
The duck cookery reminded me of french laundry - so perfect with the texture being out of sight. The shaoxing sauce was perfect for the duck (stuffed with a foie gras mousse?) as was the side accompaniments of root veg, chestnuts, and creme fraiche? Great flavors. Funny thing is I noticed the 5 tonged fork - no idea if this was ordered special for benu, but I've never seen one before. Kinda like the 3 eyed fish from the simpsons...

beef braised in pear, beech mushroom, sunflower seeds and leaves ***
Short ribs that was sous vide'd down in pear juice till ultra tender. Texture did remind of uber tender brisket which puts me in my happy place. The slight sweetness of the pear, richness of the beef, and the nuttiness of the sunflower seeds and mache leaves were pretty out of control wtf.

"shark's fin" soup, dungeness crab, Jinhua ham, black truffle custard ***
The last savory course and we went out with a bang. The shark's fin were made by gelatinizing the Jinhua ham stock and then cutting them into thin shreds. The broth was insanely good - like cut off a pinkie good. Add the ridiculously delicious black truffle custard and you have another flavor wmd. Big time wtf dish

grapefruit, espellete, white chocolate **
Another dish that shouldn't taste good, but it is soooo damn tasty. The grapefruit sorbet was pure grapefruit - citrusy and sour with almost no sweetness to it. But the white chocolate shavings and cream made everything balance out. Add the background heat of the espellete powder and you have a wide range of flavor profiles being attacked - in a good way.

acorn-cranberry custard with banana ice cream **
This was friggin stupid good. Banana ice cream and custard was an amazing combo of texture and flavors. There was this crunchy thing that yielded into soft milkiness that bursted of banana flavor. Would have been a wtf dish for me, but there were cranberries on the plate that were grossly sour on its own. Eaten together with everything else and it made sense.

chocolates **
Delicious petit four with even the white chocolate, which I'm not a fan of, tasting amazing. Served in another beautiful custom made box for benu.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A+) – I haven't had a meal like this in a long time. Beautiful plates that taste so delicious and so many wtf moments. Even the dishes that weren't wtf's generally made me smile a lot.
Service (A+) – Haven't had any better than this - they really thought of everything. The server was awesome - anytime I wanted a drink he was there before I had to call him. Even his knowledge of the dishes was ridiculous - he mentioned feel free to ask him about any dish and when we did he knew the exact techinque - (e.g. when agar agar was used and why). Plus, he was casual with us towards the end since we were talking and laughing with him - always a fun thing. The food also comes out a perfect pace - about 5-10 minutes after each dish. Even an extended pause right in the middle (10-15 mins) as I was thinking I needed a break.
Atmosphere (B+) – Kinda weird as you walk into what looks like a neighborhood parking lot. After you walk past this parking lot area, there's this serene outdoor seating area (ala French Laundry). When you walk inside, it looks like this large warehouse with everything gray with very tall ceilings. The thing I wasn't expecting was having carpet, but it was a nice comfy touch. The decor is not really notable but it works perfect as it allows you to focus on the food. The music was at a perfect level and sets a total serene mood (unlike the dudes at momofuku which like blasting their music) - more ambiance here which again is perfect. It's not spa music, but things from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Again, not distracting in any way, but whenever I did stop and focus on the music it put a smile on my face. We got there at 5:45p on a Friday and finished around 8. The place was fully packed by the time we left. Consisting of lots of couples in their 30s or early 40s with some large groups sprinkled around.
Price (A) – $185 for everything which was 100% worth it based on what you get. Phenomenal food and service that is unparalleled. Cheaper than many of the fine dining joints in NYC although I think this is at the upper range in the SF dining scene.

Closing Comments
French Laundry, considered at one time the best restaurant in the country, was my benchmark for food and service but I'd have to say this was definitely more impactful in every way. The food just made me smile so many times. The menu looked like Momofuku when I first saw it online - awesome technique using some Asian ingredients that taste delicious. Although I love all the Momofuku's, none of them can even come close to this place. The technique, plating, and just overall happiness is off the charts for me. Again, ignore the internet haters and trust me on this...100% highly recommended.

Bay Area Soy Milk

2011-12-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite morning rituals during my xmas week off in the bay area is to drink this delicious soy milk from Hung Vuong Tofu (1741 Berryessa Rd, San Jose, CA 95133). They have a ton of tofu products and their soy milk is made fresh daily. Great tofu flavor and sweet enough without over powering the tofu flavor.

Definitely the best I've ever had in the states, but my benchmark for soymilk is still the phenomenal World Soymilk Magnate in Taipei - ain't no one touching that place.

Bay Area Bubble Tea

2011-12-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

With a ton of Asians out in the bay area, the brother in law felt it appropriate to show us what the bubble tea is like out here. I think we're finally getting some solid stuff out in NYC, but Fantasia Coffee & Tea (528 Barber Ln, Milpitas, CA 95035) was pretty damn great. The bubbles were not only perfectly chewy but the taro flavor was mind blowing. Not that crayola color purple powdered stuff that everyone knows. This place uses real taro to flavor the milk, so the color is still white with bits of actual taro inside. Pretty damn awesome.

The Fremont Diner - Review

2011-12-28T02:04:00.016-05:00

Intro
The Fremont Diner - Dude Grade: A
2660 Fremont Dr
Sonoma, CA 95476-9537
Phone: (707) 938-7370

During our xmas vacation with the wife and the in-laws, we decided to make a trip up to Napa since the in-laws have never been to wine country. Referencing our trusty blog, I remembered Porthos raved about this joint called Fremont Diner up in Sonoma so I figured why not give it a go. Phenomenal idea - this is comfort food done to a level 11 - meaning it don't get no better than this m eff'n joint. Uber highly recommended.

Our Menu
Hush Puppie ***
I've had quite a plethora of hush puppies over the years, but nothing prepared me for these wtf delicious little bites. Lightly fried on the outside and insanely soft on the inside - almost like the lightest beignets bursting with this buttery flavor. Dipping these puppies into the remoulade sauce and you have an insanely addictive homerun.

Basket of Biscuits ***
Another completely shocking wtf moment with the best biscuits I've ever had. These were oddly light as a cloud, but very substantial at the same time. The flavor on these things were off the charts delicious too. Then, add a jam that had the consistency of maple syrup with it's own awesome flavor and some excellent butter and you get a flavor wmd.
Chicken & Waffle ***
I do love me some fried chicken and I've had a ton of it, but this may rate as the best one I've ever had. Everything I want in a fried chicken is completed here - great flavored crust (check), huge crunch (check), big chicken flavor (check), and uber moist (check). This crust was insane - perfectly seasoned and so thick and crunchy - felt like it was almost triple dipped. The waffles were solid too and adding maple syrup and butter was definitely over the top awesomeness. Oddly enough, these were by far the best chicken and waffles I've ever had putting a lot of versions I had in Harlem to shame.

Mac & Cheese *
These were solid with some good cheesy flavor and nice creamy texture. Although very delicious, I would have liked a bit more cheesy flavor and the mac to be a little more al dente. Still pretty damn fun.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A+) – I love me some American comfort food and I honestly think it'll be pretty tough to top this. Even the coffee was friggin phenomenal too. The in laws ordered some other dishes that they loved also, but I didn't want to stop everyone from eating to document what they had.
Service (A) – Waitresses were extremely helpful / pleasant and the food comes out pretty quickly.
Atmosphere (B+) – The brother in law made the decision to get there early based on some internet comments on how popular this place was and it was a wise decision. We got there at 10:30, but our party of 5 didn't get seated till 11:20. Inside is insanely tiny - 5 tables in the back and 1 in the kitchen (we were lucky to get the kitchen seat). There are plenty of outdoor seats which makes sense since you can order take out and eat outside. The place is in the middle of nowhere with chickens running around and you're surrounded by beautiful sonoma county - a definite plus. Sitting at the kitchen table was pretty awesome watching the one chick and latino chef rock out all the dishes. Pretty amazing that with just the two of them they were kicking so much ars. They're on a mission though so don't expect any smiles or friendly banter - they had a ton of work to do and kicked ass at it.
Price (A) – $75 for 5 people which was 100% worth it about $15 per head.

Closing Comments
Whenever I'm back in the bay area, I always need to go to Swan Oyster Depot and I think this place will be added to the list. If you're in the area, you are crazy to not check this place out. FYI - this is another reason why you can't trust random internet reviews. Some yelpers said it's not worth the price, but they are eff'n crazy. You're not getting these quality biscuits and fried chix at some cheap ass diner. This place just eff'n rawks.

Bay Area Xmas 2011

2011-12-28T01:45:00.006-05:00

Spent xmas day with the wife and the in laws visiting all the beautiful sites in the bay area. Definitely love it out here - really beautiful and everything seems pretty damn convenient.

One of the pit stops we made for lunch was at Skyline's Cafe (87 Skyline Plaza Blvd, Daly City, CA). For $20, you get your pick of 3 courses + soup. A pretty damn ridiculous deal for decent Cantonese food.

To round off Xmas dinner, we rocked Spices Restaurant (929 A Edgewater Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404) for a Szechuan xmas meal. Nothing says xmas to me like deep fried fish in a sweet/sour sauce ;) Pretty solid stuff although my US benchmark Wu Liang Ye still reigns supreme.

Roast Chicken

2011-12-26T03:55:00.000-05:00

I found some "Salt from Mallorca" in the pantry today so i didn't have
to use my usual bouquet garni or Herbs de Provence for the chicken.

Evenly season the bird(try to find yourself the the cleanest bird out
there), and roast at 375 degrees F for 90 min. Let rest for 10 min
before you slice and Voila, you have a restaurant grade chicken dish
at home.
Yes, it's that simple.

Old School Gatorade

2011-12-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

Villa Pizza

2011-12-24T07:43:00.000-05:00

Hitting up Villa Pizza in Holmdel is always a highlight moment.

Japanese KFC Xmas

2011-12-22T16:42:00.003-05:00

Fun article about Japan's xmas tradition of eating KFC. Merry xmas and happy festivus all!

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/12/22/japans-finger-lickin-christmas-tradition/?hpt=hp_c2

$3 Macaron

2011-12-21T21:02:00.006-05:00

I'm not a huge macaron connoisseur, but there's been some buzz in NYC about this famous macaron joint from Paris opening up in NYC. My wife ended up waiting an hour at Laduree in the upper east side to pick up these pastries.

I don't quite get what the fuss is all about. I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet desserts and this was definitely too sweet in my opinion. The texture and flavors are excellent minus the cloying sweetness. Definitely not worth the hour wait or the $3 cost per macaron. Not sure how this joint is in Paris - guessing they're dumbing things down for Americans by sweetening things up.

Swedish Meatballs

2011-12-18T21:14:00.003-05:00

First time making Swedish Meatballs and they came out pretty fun. Soft and uber satisfying with the cream sauce and the lingonberry preserves. The surprise to these are they are made with a bit of honey which makes it very addictive.

Momofuku : Pork Buns

2011-12-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

Undoubtably one of the culinary highlights of NYC.
Granted its not something you have weekly, but once in a blue moon,
take that stroll down to the east village and treat yourself to
something that's clearly influenced hundreds of restaurants through
out America.

These heavenly Pork Buns always deliver.

two-bite brownies : now better than ever

2011-12-16T07:10:00.002-05:00

"The Original "Two-Bite" Brownies, now even better!!"

Midtown Lunch

2011-12-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

Getting your Japanese ON for $13.
Great lunch deals at Aburiya Kinnosuke in Midtown East Manhattan.

Not bad at all folks. Rice, Whole Fish, Pickles, Soup and Braised
Veggies and Beef.

Asian Simplicity

2011-12-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Cooking a meal on a work night means I want something quick and flavorful and Asian is a great way to go. One of my favorite Asian things to cook is vegetables since you have such a wide variety to choose from - I can only take so many squash varieties during the fall/winter.

I decided to make some napa cabbage and it's so friggin easy, healthy, and delicious. Peanut oil over medium heat, cook garlic until fragrant (not browned), drop cabbage in and stir immediately so garlic doesn't burn. Salt and white pepper immediately. The key here is the amount of salt - you need to push it to the limit where it brings out the natural sweetness of the cabbage without being oversalted. Start slowly, taste and reseason...simple. Also, you need to cook it where it's soft, but not mush.

For the protein component, I decided to rock some jidori chicken (bone in) dusted with chinese five spice, japanese leeks, and a mix of japanese mushrooms. Again, dead simple and crazy flavorful. The gravy this thing makes is friggin awesome - shred up the chicken and combine with some white rice and the cabbage and you got a delicious healthy meal.

Lasagna 101

2011-12-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

I have never made Lasagna before but for some reason, I had a hankering for it.

A staple of many American kids growing up, the sudden chilly weather
had me a little nostalgic for something hearty and Jersey-ish.

For those of you who know Aramis and I, we grew up in the Jersey
suburbs with a lot of Italian American kids. Every now and then, we'd
stay over and have dinner at our friend's house and Lasagna would be a
pretty common treat our Italian "mothers" would make.

So out of no where Sunday morning, I asked my co-worker for some
pointers because she makes a killer Lasagna as well and Immediately
went to the store to pick up the ingredients.

Keep in mind, this is a ricotta filled Lasagna and not the more
traditional besciamella (bechemel) Lasagna you would find on Norther
Italy.

Ingredients :
Lasagna Pasta
2# Bison Ragu
15oz Ricotta Cheese
1# Mozzarella Cheese
1/4# Parmesan Cheese
2 Egg
6oz Frozen Spinach
9x13 Baking Caserole

You layer it to your liking, cover, bake at 375 for an hour, uncover
and bake another 10 min and Voila!
Dinner for at least 6.

IT'S SOOOO EASY!
I can't wait to try it again and switch up some ingredients.

Beef : It's what's for Dinner

2011-12-08T08:02:00.008-05:00

It's no surprise I love Steaks. As a matter of fact, I was recently asked what I'd request for my last meal if I were ever incarcerated. And to be honest, it would be very hard for me to not request a Big Juicy Steak. Primal instinct demands bloody protein I think.
I'm certainly not above it all and think Vegetables are a good source of nourishment. It just doesn't make sense to me. I intend to use my incisors til I die.
But let's leave that for another day. Today, I want to talk about my Steak.

Here are my simple instructions to turn a home cooked meal into a restaurant experience.

Take a great cut of Beef. (In this case, a dry aged, CAB Prime NY Strip Loin)
And Season it. I went the pan sear method, so I dusted it with Wondra.

In a hot pan, sear all sides of the protein. 2 min each side and remove and let sit.

In the same pan, deglaze with a decent red wine. Reduce by half and add chicken stock. Then add either Demi Glace or some kind of Glace (Veau or Poulet) and mix to incorporate well.

Reduce.

To finish the sauce, add a dallop of butter. In this case, I used Truffle Butter.
Remember to cut the heat and let the butter emulsify into the sauce by mixing with a wooden spoon.
You are looking to achieve "Nape".

In a new pan, heat up some olive oil or better yet, butter and sear the rested steak one more time to really put a nice crust on it.

Take off and let rest one more time. 5 min should do.
At this time start plating and conjure up today's presentation.

Slice on a bias and lay the glorious medium rare steaks onto the plate and spoon over your red wine reduction truffle sauce.

BOOM!

Jewel Bako - Review

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Intro
Jewel Bako - Dude Grade: A
239 E 5th St, New York 10003
(Btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave)
Phone: (212) 979-1012

Ever since Chef Yasuda decided to leave NYC to go on his ronin mission to become the #1 sushi chef in Japan, I haven't had phenomenal sushi since his departure. Porthos has been talking about Jewel Bako for a while now, so I decided I have to see this place for myself. Needless to say for all things sushi Porthos is better than any michelin, ny times, etc guides. This place is phenomenal and for the price point I think definitely my go to sushi joint for higher end stuff.

Our Menu
Sushi Omakase **
Sushi here is at an exceptional level, but it is quite different from what you get at Yasuda or the delicious Gari. At Yasuda, it was an ethereal experience where the fish had such amazing flavor and texture and the rice was perfectly balanced. The sushi here is also very delicious, but there are lots of things going on flavor wise. You'll notice salt, bitterness, some sweetness depending on the fish. It's not drowning in sauce by any means, but very delicately done.

One of my favorite pieces of sushi was this mackerel which was made into a paste with ginger and scallions - reminded me of the chinese ginger/scallion sauce served with boiled chicken. Lights out good.

Other highlights included this live lobster which was tasty, but what floored me was the miso soup made out of the lobster heads. Amazing flavor.

Finally, this urchin and scallop dish was a pretty ridiculous wtf moment. Two of my favorite things combined perfectly with rice and some nori on top. The chef here rocks the torch on the uni and scallop briefly so you get this smokey thing going on and he puts more fresh uni inside also - a huge sweet, meaty, smokey combination and oh so satisfying with the rice.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A-) – Phenomenal sushi that is definitely inventive and very delicious.
Service (A) – Typical Japanese service - very professional and very attentive. The chef was extremely nice to us.
Atmosphere (A) – Kind of a weird cavernous place that has these rounded arches for ceilings - a great date place. All the way in the back is the sushi counter and it's brightly lit. The place was completely full on a Thursday 9:30. We were seated immediately and closed the place down.
Price (A) – $125 for everything which is a great deal for NYC omakase sushi - especially for this quality

Closing Comments
As I stated before, this maybe my new go to sushi joint for the exceptional quality and reasonable price. Although Yasuda and Jewel Bako's sushi are completely different, I still feel Yasuda is king for me. No idea how his joint is without the commander at the helm though, but I will definitely have to check it out.

East Restaraunt

2011-12-06T00:59:00.000-05:00

Located on 44th between 2nd and 3rd, this is now one of my favorite
Japanese Joints to hit up when you are in Midtown East, and just don't
feel like Soba Totto, Sakagura, or Aburiya Kinnosuke will do. It's
when you crave comfort food and instead of running home to prepare a
meal, you dish out a few dollars and go free willy on the menu.

This is your typical Izakaya where the food is solid and doesn't come
with attitude. There are no ring molds or espuma cans in the kitchen.
This is straight forward Japanese cooking. And at a very reasonable
fee, you can walk out completely satiated night after night.

This was my receipt with the wife. She told me Lunch meetings cost her
way more. LOL.
Completely satisfied.

Le Singe Vert - Revisit

2011-12-04T22:02:00.005-05:00

Stopped by Le Singe Vert again with my cousins and the kitchen knocked it out of the park as usual. Food all around was incredibly solid - like a perfect representation of bistro food. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but everyone was starving so we all started eating and sharing plates right away.

Our Menu
French onion soup gratinée **
I'm a sucker for french onion soup and this was great. Big onion flavor with a delicious cheese.

POITRINE DE CANARD DE LONG ISLAND ROTI a l’orange **
The chefs here know how to handle game meats and it was pretty heavenly. Duck was perfectly cooked and the sauce was a perfect match - still thinking about that delicious duck flavor.

L’ONGLET MARCHAND de VIN **
A dish similar to the duck - huge beef flavor perfectly cooked paired with a nice rich sauce. Oh yeah - and they serve bone marrow here as a side for the dish. Ridiculously delicious.

CASSOULET *
Very satisfying hearty dish especially for the cold weather. Creamy beans that are still al dente with pork belly, duck confit, and a ridiculously delicious sausage.

JARRET D’AGNEAU BRAISÉ AU VIN ROUGE **
I love stewed meats and this was pretty insane. Lamb was literally fall of the bone and melt in your mouth delicious - especially with the huge wine sauce that it was stewing in.

Special En Croute ***
I have to admit - it's good to know chefs in the kitchen and this is one of those reasons. This dish consisted of blood sausage, quail, mushrooms, and maybe pork wrapped in puff pastry. This was maybe one of my top 5 favorite food memories this year - totally bringing me back to the amazing Au Pied de Cochon. Total WTF amazing...

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Hot Pot Sundays

2011-12-04T07:53:00.000-05:00

December is finally here upon us and what better way to stay warm than
a little Hot Pot.
This version I made isn't your typical spicy Szechuan style Hotpot.
More subtle in flavor.
Keywords : Dashi, Umami,
Probably a little unorthodox because I'm using a lot of Japanese
cooking principles to extract the umami from the ingredients. But that
said, some of the spices I used are influenced by Chinese Herbal
Medicine. Ingredients that are thought to help blood circulation and
keep a body warm in the winter.

Hot Pot : Chicken Drumsticks, Shiitake, Ginger, Onions, Nappa Cabbage,
Chinese 5 Spice

When I serve the dish, I will accompany with a little Yuzu Kosho or
Singapore style Shrimp Chili Paste.

Sushi in Miami

2011-11-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

Those who know me know I'm big on Tradition. But lately, innovative
plating and cooking has made me a believer in (and I hate this word
even more) "Fusion".
Who would have ever thought Mayonnaise, chili oil, and the oh so
creamy avocado would make their way into a sushi roll.

When it's good, it's good.

Sam Adams : New World Tripel

2011-11-30T18:47:00.000-05:00

If you can find it in your stores, I highly recommend.
From the Barrel Room Collection.

Gingerbread House alla Starbucks

2011-11-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

Now that's a Gingerbread House if I've ever seen one.
The entrance to the Starbucks at my hotel is labelled with sheets of
Gingerbread Cookies.

Smells AMAZING!!

Double Smoked Bacon

2011-11-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

Shaller and Weber, Double Smoked Bacon. Cut to spec by yours truly.

First grilled, then cut up and tossed into soup, salad, and bite sized
pieces to accompany weekend pint of beer.

Kin Shop - Review

2011-11-21T06:00:00.004-05:00

Intro
Kin Shop - Dude Grade: C+
469 Avenue of the Americas, New York 10011
Btwn 11th and 12th St
Phone: (212) 675-4295

The wife and I are Top Chef fans and I've always been curious to see how Harold Dieterle's restaurants were (Top Chef Season 1 Winner). I chose to visit Kin Shop since a friend from London was in town and she was requesting spicy, Asian food. Figured why not check out Kin Shop, Harold's take on Thai food - not exactly authentic, but still pretty fun.

Our Menu
Spicy Duck Laab Salad *
toasted rice, ground chili & romaine hearts
A pretty fun dish with textural crunch (rice and romaine) and spicy/savory thing going on with the duck and chilis. Oddly reminded me of PF Chang's chicken lettuce wrap, but obviously much better.
Grilled Prawns *
fresh lime & "phuket style" black pepper sauce
Nice and smokey prawns that was pretty tender and relatively sweet. Fun with the chili and lime dressing. Prawn heads are always fun.

Fried Pork and Crispy Oyster Salad **
celery, peanuts, mint & chili-lime vinaigrette
What's not to love about this dish - crispy oysters and uber tender pork belly. Friggin phenomenal - the oysters and pork had huge flavors and the textures made it pretty damn fun. Celery was a nice bright surprising pop to the dish.

Red: Roasted Duck Breast *
crispy roti, green mango, fresh herbs & tamarind water
Very tender and flavorful duck breast which was great dipped in the sauce (felt like a massaman wannabe). The roti used to wrap the duck was pretty damn buttery and delicious.

Selection Of Grilled Eggplant
rice pearls, fish sauce & mint
Not a big fan of this dish. Tender, but a tad oily. Flavor was decent with the fish sauce and mint though.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (C+) – Not Thai food, but Thai style flavorings with food that's generally cooked pretty well.
Service (B) – Waiter was very friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere (B) – Was there on a Monday and it was empty around 7pm, but packed afterwards. Even when we left around 9:30, there were people waiting in line. The place definitely had this quaint west village vibe. Open kitchen is interesting to watch, but the good thing is Harold is actually there expediting. He's supposedly looking into his 3rd restaurant, so good to see him still working the pass on a Monday.
Price (C) – Entrees are around $23, but the portions are relatively small. Not bad for the quality though.

Closing Comments
A fun time and the food was decent, but not sure I would go back. If I want either an Asian fusion thing, I'd stop by any Momofuku or if I want Thai style food I'd go to a Thai restaurant near me.

Weekend Salad

2011-11-19T13:36:00.000-05:00

A little creative juices flowing this morning so I came up with this
dish and presentation.

Cherry tomatoes marinated in fig balsamic and olive oil with chives.
Lightly sautéed baby squash with double smoked bacon tossed in. Baby
zucchini quartered. Beets quartered. And alfalfa.

Fun and healthy. I think I won this round.

Whole Foods Wannabe Oreos

2011-11-13T22:36:00.004-05:00

The wife picked up the Whole Foods wannabe brand of Oreos and they're friggin fantastic. Nice and crisp with really good flavor. If you care, the Whole Foods brand seems healthier with no saturated fat, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Highly recommended by this dude.

Dinner for One

2011-11-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I like to revisit childhood favorites.

It took me a long time to accept and revisit Boston Market (aka Boston
Chicken), but I finally did last night.
Mostly due to my dislike of John Kerry's bitchy wife who owns Heintz
Ketchup AND Boston Market.

Without complimenting the franchise too much, it was a great meal and
if I do find myself in the middle of west bumble @uck PA again, I will
sure like to order another roasted chicken to take back to the hotel
for dinner.

Brownie was excellent too. Damn it!

Ketchup

2011-11-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

You know what? It does taste better than Heintz. I never thought I'd
say that. Have been a loyal Heintz patron for ages. But the no high
fructose corn syrup peaked my interest and boy did it taste good.

Toro

2011-11-11T10:39:00.000-05:00

My guess, Big Eye Tuna, under 200#.

Not bad. But not the best by a long shot.

Cheesesteak

2011-11-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

When in Philly... Right?
Even the no name cheesesteak joints in Philly make crazy awesome cheesesteaks.

Bull Testicles prepared with Escargot Butter

2011-11-09T01:30:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite restaurants in NYC is Yakiniku Takashi, a meat
grilling at your table specialty restaurant.

They constantly push the envelope and dish out new things.

I was as shocked as the next dude with the complimentary dish from the owner.
Thanks Takashi!
I can now say I have had balls in my mouth.

Crab Salad

2011-11-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

A little Crab Salad is good from time to time.

Shio Ramen at Mitsuwa

2011-11-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

One of the best bowls of Ramen I've ever had on the states.
$9.50 for this bowl of flavorful soup noodle with toppings.

Grilled Chashu
Marinaded Soft Boiled Egg
Flavored Bamboo Shoots
and Scallions

I'll be waiting for them to come back.
Unfortunately this was a limited 4 day run at the Mitsuwa in Edgewater.
3,000 covers only.

Sunday : Making "Sauce"

2011-11-06T16:22:00.000-05:00

Keen's Prime Rib

2011-11-05T16:27:00.004-04:00

I haven't had Prime Rib in 5+ years. Hanging with Porthos over the years, he's converted me to a ribeye or strip steak kinda guy. At Keen's Chophouse last night, I decided to re-visit my old friend the prime rib. Friggin fantastic - huge beefy flavor, like big beef broth kinda flavor and uber tender. Just what this dude needed.

Domino's Artisan Sausage Pizza

2011-11-04T21:04:00.001-04:00

You know what?
It's still noticeably delivery pizza.
But it sure didn't suck!

“Seriously? It’s beer,”

2011-11-02T08:54:00.001-04:00

St. Louis Brewers Think Small

By JOE STANGE

IN the late 1800s, St. Louisans flocked to brewery gardens to drink, play and socialize. Most were immigrants accustomed to beer as part of daily life, as vital as bread. Out of this enthusiasm arose Anheuser-Busch, perhaps the best-known large-scale brewery in the country. No matter its size, locals have remained loyal to the hometown company.

In 2008, InBev, the international beer company, bought A-B, as Anheuser-Busch is known locally. When that year started there were only three other beer companies within the city limits, each one tiny in comparison. Yet today the city's craft brew options are expanding quickly: by the end of 2011, A-B can expect to have 11 competitors in the city plus another dozen in the surrounding area.

So is there a limit to the number of craft brewers that locals are willing to support?

"Seriously? It's beer," answered Dylan Mosley, the head brewer for the Civil Life Brewing Company in south St. Louis. "You know how many people drink beer? If I opened a hamburger joint, nobody's going to be, like, 'Hey, you know how many hamburger joints there are?' They'd be like, 'Sweet! Another hamburger joint!' "

Last month Mr. Mosley and Jake Hafner, the brewery owner, opened The Civil Life (3714 Holt Avenue; no phone; www.thecivillifebrewingcompany.com) in south St. Louis. Inside the brew house they built a two-level pub with nooks meant to facilitate conversation among neighbors. The Civil Life specializes in "session beers" of lower strength, meant for drinking in quantity without derailing said conversation. Offerings include a British-style bitter and a rye pale ale ($5 each).

Further south, in the South Carondelet neighborhood, a former Coca-Coca plant is now home to Perennial Artisan Ales (8125 Michigan Avenue; 314-631-7300 ; perennialbeer.com). It opened in September and has a tasting pub where visitors can sample the recipes of its brewer, Phil Wymore, including the dry-hopped Hommel Bier pale ale ($5), inspired by Belgian farmhouse ales.

A short walk from Busch Stadium, 4 Hands (1220 South Eighth Street; 4handsbrewery.com) is scheduled to open on Nov. 11, with a rye India pale ale and an oatmeal brown among the offerings. The tasting bar is made from the wood of a 107-year-old rural Missouri barn.

But the local craft quake's center has been Midtown Alley, just west of downtown, with three breweries within walking distance of one another.

Buffalo (3100 Olive Street; 314-534-2337 ; buffalobrewingstl.com) is the geezer of the trio, opened way back in 2008. The brewpub's citrus-hopped Rye IPA ($4.50) is a favorite among local beer geeks. Those tired of waiting in line for barbecue from wildly popular Pappy's next door can opt instead for the Buffalo's burgers and mussels.

Six Row (3690 Forest Park Avenue; 314-531-5600 ; sixrowbrewco.com) opened at the end of 2009. The brewery recently completed an expansion that nearly quadrupled its capacity. Besides standbys that include the Honey Weizen ($4.50), brewed with Missouri honey, are occasional cult favorites like the Bacon Porter, in which a slab of cooked bacon soaks in the cask.

The latest Midtown addition, Urban Chestnut (3229 Washington Avenue; 314-222-0143 ; urbanchestnut.com), opened in January. Florian Kuplent, a former A-B brewer, specializes in a mix of traditional European styles and more experimental attempts. Fifteen different beers flowed on a recent visit, including the crisply hopped Zwickel lager and the chestnuts-laced Winged Nut ale (each $5).

In front of the pub is a small garden with long, sturdy tables; Mr. Kuplent had them shipped from his native Germany. "It is a beer town and I think there's a history there of people that enjoy themselves sitting in beer gardens," he said. "And I think that gene, or whatever it is, didn't go away."

Best $14 Lunch in Manhattan

2011-11-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

Aburiya Kinnosuke dishes out some killer combos for lunch.

This was Tuna on Rice and Chicken on Rice. 2 great box lunches for the
price of 1!

Sammich

2011-10-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

I love me a good Sammich.

It is easy being green

2011-10-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

The great thing about cooking fried rice is it's so quick to cook, a great way to clean out the fridge, and incredibly delicious. Here's a version I cooked up that was very healthy and extremely delicious - edamame, romaine, celery, and tons of green onions.

Jambalaya - First Try

2011-10-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

I had a craving for some jambalaya, so I decided to give it a try using a recipe from one of Paul Prudhomme's books (former head chef of the famous Commander's Palace in New Orleans) as inspiration. I was very pleased with the results from my first try and I'll definitely be tweaking it next time - me thinks duck fat and dark beer will amp up the flavor a lot more. Obviously, probably not very authentic, but pretty damn delicious.

Ingredients
Store Bought Cajun Seasoning
1 tbsp chipotle powder
4 chicken thighs
5 andouille sausage links - cut into bite sized pieces
3 springs of thyme leaves minced
2 stalks celery diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, and diced
1 onion diced
4 green onions sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
4 sprigs thyme - mince leaves only
2 bay leaves
3 cups long grain rice
2 cups crushed tomato
4 cups chicken broth
salt and black pepper

1) Sear the meats in a heavy bottom pot. Sear sausages on both sides over medium high heat and remove. The andouille will give it a great smoky flavor and make it taste like jambalaya. Season chicken with cajun seasoning, sear on both sides only (not fully cooked), and remove. Remove chicken skins (you can make chicken skins which are delicious) and pour out all but 1 tbsp of chicken/sausage fat.
2) Saute vegetables and aromatics all seasoned with salt and pepper on medium heat - holy trinity (onions, peppers, and celery), green onions, thyme, bay leaves, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning, chipotle powder, and garlic until soft. Make sure to scrape up some of the brown bits at the bottom. Some notes - the trinity is the other base that really makes this taste like jambalaya...incredibly awesome and totally permeates the entire dish. Also, I know chipotle powder is not authentic, but I didn't have any cayenne pepper. Chipotle still gives you the hot flavor, but adds smokiness which is killer in the jambalaya.
3) Cook the rice - by sauteeing it for a minute or two until rice is coated with the chicken/sausage fat. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, chicken and sausage, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, shred the chicken and fold into the rice, serve and enjoy. Oh, and btw - jambalaya served on top of crispy chicken skins is stupid eff'n good.

Google Beer...by Dogfish?

2011-10-23T22:48:00.002-04:00

Pepe's

2011-10-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

Every time I head back from a trip to Boston, I make it a point to
stop at Frank Pepe's in New Haven, CT for a pie.

Sausage and Onions totally hit the spot.
Hit or miss, this time was money.

Veal Cutlets with Spaghetti and Kabocha Squash

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

With the fall weather coming on, I had a hankering for some squash so I decided to do some pasta. In terms of protein, I was sick of cooking chicken and fish so some veal caught my eye. The combo totally worked. Crispy tender veal cutlets was nicely cut by the agrodolce (sweet/sour) kabocha squash sauce. Pretty damn fun.

Ingredients
4 veal cutlets
panko bread crumbs
zest from 1 lemon
2 rosemary sprigs - minced leaves only
4 sprigs thyme - mince leaves only
1/3 cup parmiggiano-reggiano finely grated
2 cloves garlic finely minced, 4 whole cloves garlic
2 eggs/water beaten
ap flour
1/2 package whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 onion sliced
1 kabocha squash peeled, seeded, and cut into bite size piece
red wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1) Get your breading station ready. Flour in one container, beaten eggs/water in another, and the breading (panko, lemon zest, minced garlic, parmiggiano, rosemary, thyme) in the last. Season all containers with salt and pepper. This is my standard breading and it goes well with chicken and fish - bright pops with the lemon zest and the garlic/cheese make it incredibly addicting to eat.
2) Bread the veal - flour, egg, and bread crumb. Make sure it's completely coated in each to ensure a nice crust. When you get to the bread crumbs, pat the bread crumbs in to ensure the breading will stick. Set aside.
3) Roast the squash - place the cut up squash on a tray in a 400F oven. Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves to the tray and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4) Make the squash sauce by cooking onions in a wok (or large pan) in olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper and add the squash, roasted garlic. Add splash red wine vinegar, honey, and a cup of water. Cook down until it forms a loose paste.
5) Cook pasta within 1 minute of the instructions. Take the pasta water out (maybe 2-4 cups) and add to the squash sauce. Add the spaghetti to the sauce. Consistency of sauce and pasta should be relatively loose. The pasta should not be clumpy - if it is, add more pasta water. Finish with olive oil and more parmiggiano.
6) Cook the veal in a large pan over medium high heat with a good amount of olive oil - almost a shallow fry. Make sure the oil is pretty hot otherwise it won't brown properly - the abundance of oil will help as well Also, per Mr Ramsay, cooking anything in cold oil will make it greasy. Cook 2-3 minutes each side making sure not to burn it. Put on top of the pasta and finish with lemon juice, olive oil, and more parmiggiano. Buono appetito!

Le Cirque - Review

2011-10-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Intro
Le Cirque
151 E 58th St, New York 10022
Btwn Lexington & 3rd Ave
Phone: (212) 644-0202

Men's eating club round 3 - Porthos pick for the next round of eating was the famous Le Cirque restaurant. This place has been around since 1974 and served the rich and famous for a long time. And here we are. For some odd reason, Le Cirque has never been on my list of go to restaurants. Regardless of the previous reasons, I'm glad I went this night as we got to eat at the chef's table in the kitchen. They're producing some solid food here and it was such a spectacular time hanging with the fellas. Killer meal and way too many laughs. Gracias to Mr. Risotto for the excellent pix.

Our Menu
Oyster *
Solid kushi oyster spiked with some herb (maybe taragon?). Nice and bright pop.

Oysters ***
Mushroom Broth
This was pretty ridiculous - first time I've had an oyster prepared this way. Oyster was gently poached in the mushroom broth and had an almost japanese fried oyster flavor. So friggin delicious - rich and unctuous. And, the oyster was still tender and only barely cooked through.

Marinated Big Eye Tuna (est. 2008) *
avocado tapenade, celemtines, and sesame tuille
Nice and delicate. Everyone's had tuna and avocado salad before, but this was done so precisely. The avocado added the nice creaminess while the clementines opened up the palate.

Torchon of Foie Gras *
cherries, balsamic, and pistachio
We've all had foie gras many a time, but I've never had it with pistachio and balsamic - molto italiano and it works out quite well. The torched figs were pretty damn tasty.

Wild Burgundy Escargot **
gruyere gnocchi, pickled garlic scapes, and bottarga
I love escargot and I get pretty irritated when bistros eff this up. This was perfectly done - great flavor, incredibly tender, and uber garlicky. Also nice touch with the gruyere gnocchi which was more like the french gougeres - light and fluffy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Pasta Primavera *
Everyone's had pasta primavera (spring in Italian) before, but this is where the dish originated. Pretty damn fun - never had vegetables this perfectly cooked in a primavera, not mushy/soggy and still retaining their individual flavor. My only wish is that the texture was slightly looser, but this is where this dish was originated so what do i know?

Diver Scallops “Black Tie” (est. 1986) **
spinach, turnips and truffles
A dish created by Daniel Boulud when he was running the kitchen here. Kinda like a beef wellington with the rich sauce and puff pastry. Definitely a softball pitch/crowd pleaser of a dish. What's not to like when you have truffles, scallops, puff pastry and a huge fond de veau sauce. Even the turnips were friggin awesome.

Long Island Duck Breast **
balinese pepper, pluots, mignonette jus
I've had a ton of duck dishes, but never with these flavorings. Duck is generally served with a super rich or a cloyingly sweet sauce. This instead was served with a nice bright mignonette sauce with some lavender going on. The pluots were a big time wtf delicious.

Duo of Wagyu Beef (est. 2011) **
short rib strudel, rib eye, foie gras sabayon
Foie gras sauce and super rich wagyu sirloin. Friggin fantastic although this was definitely borderline overload of richness of food at this point.

Desserts
I didn't try all the desserts since after all that food and three bottles of wine I was in food/wine coma. The ones that I tried did kick massive ars.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (N/A) – Solid food with great balance - nice pop to the dishes. A nice lightness to the entire meal.
Service (A) – Owners/chefs stop by and food comes out at a great pace. Sommelier stopped by multiple times to make sure our glasses were never empty and the waiters were definitely on top of their game.
Atmosphere (A+) – Eating in the kitchen is a food geek's dream and it was a pretty awesome experience - definitely a dinner and a show. The kitchen runs like a well oiled machine with people focused and moving extremely fast and nimble. Only a few Gordon Ramsay type blowups, but it was probably a 5/10 in terms of how bad it could be.
Price (N/A) – $125 for the tasting menu, but we got a massive hookup since we had the inside connection.

Closing Comments
Definitely a once in a lifetime experience and thanks to the kitchen team for a great experience.

Sunday Lunch

2011-10-16T13:47:00.003-04:00

Football on the big screen, autumnation beer (hoppy brew with pumpkin, ginger, fall spices), and guac. What more can a dude ask for?

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches - Review

2011-10-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

Intro
Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches - Dude Grade: B
99 Nassau St
Btwn Fulton and Anne St
Manhattan, NY 10038
Phone: (212) 766-3388

I love working downtown since there's such a wide range of delicious lunch spots that are for the most part relatively cheap. Nicky's is one of those examples. Although I love me a vietnamese sandwich, something about a nice bowl of pho makes me uber happy especially with the cold weather.

Our Menu
Beef Pho *
A solid beef pho and one of my favorites in the area which is surprising that so many people do it so shitty. Tribeca Viet Cafe - I'm looking at you ($13 for subpar pho at viet cafe vs $9 for solid pho at Nicky's). The broth here is very solid, the noodles are nicely al dente and they come packed with a ton of ingredients - a lot of bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno slices which are awesome with the broth, and beef tendon/brisket.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Closing Comments
100% my go to soup place and I need to check out the sandwiches, since the name of the shop has sandwiches in it. One day...

Le Singe Vert

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Intro
Le Singe Vert
160 7th Ave
Btwn 19th and 20th St
Manhattan, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 366-4100

I've been meaning to stop by our buddies place, Le Singe Vert, for a while now, but the social obligations over the last two months have been a wee bit too much. Well, we finally made time and it was definitely worth the wait. Le Singe Vert does bistro food very well and even the brunch kicks ars too. The food was so much fun, I went twice in the span of a week. Need to schedule round three as I've been told the venison bolognese is spectacular.

Our Menu
(from brunch and dinner)
Octopus Salad
A great wtf type of octopus - incredibly tender and huge flavors with the anchovies/garlic. The potatoes make it satisfying and the tomatoes give it that bright sweet pop.

La Parisienne
Nice and fluffy eggs with a fun gruyere and ham thing going on.

French Toast
I'm not a huge brunch guy, but this was pretty stupid delicious - like absurd yummy. So, light, fluffy, and creamy and I knew it was my buddies cooking as he added the nice twist of armagnac/calvados to the side creme fraiche.

Truffle Fries
Everyone does these, but I don't care since these are delicious. Good potato flavor, nice and crispy and awesome with the bearnaise sauce.

Chicken Liver Mousse w/ Green Apple and Cornichon
I love chicken liver mousse and this was probably one of the best versions I've had in a long time. Flavor was so eff'n spot on and the hint of alcohol (maybe calvados/armagnac again?) made this thing pop. The green apple/cornichon was perfect to cut the richness of this dish.
Charcuterie
Fun mix of salamis, pates, and pickled veg (onions/cornichons).

La Verte
After all the richness of the chicken liver and the charcuterie, I decided we needed some salad and this was actually pretty delicious. The escarole had a nice hearty texture/flavor with the perfect amount of dressing and quite fun with the goat cheese crouton. Our buddy did make fun of us for ordering this, but we made the USDA proud by completing the food pyramid :)

Bouillabase
I've been craving some bouillabase and this hit the spot. Seafood was cooked spot on and it was what I needed in the cold weather.

Tasty Sluts

2011-10-11T23:57:00.001-04:00

This is totally absurd.
But I like it.

Chicken Soup

2011-10-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

One thing we loved in Taiwan is delicious soup at the end of every meal. I decided to cook up some chicken soup and it couldn't be any easier - incredibly comforting and satisfying.

As with any chicken soup there are some basic guidelines to follow.
1) More chicken bones = more richness/flavor
2) For a balanced soup - think high notes (sweetness from the cabbage and the ginger) and low notes (earthy/richness form the mushrooms)
3) Using a tall narrow pot ensures there will be a lot of ingredients per drop of water. A wider pot and you'll have to break down the ingredients a lot more to get the same water/ingredient ratio.

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
Two chicken backs/necks
10 shitake mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion thinly sliced
1 knob ginger minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 napa cabbage
sea salt and white pepper
sesame oil
splash xiao xing wine

1) Add sesame oil to a tall narrow pot and cook onions down until soft - not browned. Season with salt and pepper and xiao xing wine. Cook until alcohol smell dissipates.
2) Add everything else but the cabbage to the pot. Top off with water - water level should be an inch from covering the ingredients.
3) Bring to a boil, then simmer. Skim off all the fat/impurities from the top.
4) Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Skim again. Add the napa cabbage and cook for another 15 minutes - so the cabbage doesn't disintegrate. Do a last skimming and add sesame oil to finish. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. You can serve with cooked noodles or just enjoy on it's own.

Sunday Grilling

2011-10-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

Toasted PB&J

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite comfort foods is PB&J, so I decided to make some over the weekend. Throw some bread with some crunchy peanut butter in the oven and you'll get this roasted peanut thing going that gets uber creamy and gooey and the bread will get nice and crunchy. Homemade plum jam provided by the wife's cousin Josephine. Definitely will put a huge smile on your face.

Green Tea IPA

2011-10-06T07:25:00.000-04:00

Baird, Ishii, and Stone putting their brains together for this amazing
Green Tea IPA.

The key is to not steep the tea in the early phase of the wort, but
treat it like if you were dry hopping at the end. Eliminating any
unwanted bitter notes from tea leaves and pulling just the essence and
naturally sweet notes.

Ah-May-Zing!!!

Pane Panelle - Review

2011-10-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Intro
Pane Panelle
305 1/2 Church St
Btwn Lispenard and Walker St
Manhattan, NY 10013
Phone: (212) 219-2357

I've been wanting to check out this sandwich shop for a while, so I decided to stop by since I was in the area. The place is a little sandwich shop attached to the fun Stuzzicheria - more like a hallway on the side. This is definitely the most satisfying vegetarian sandwich I've ever had - did not need meat at all. Highly recommended.

Our Menu
Pane e Panelle **
Chickpea Fritter, Ricotta, Caciocavallo
The great thing about this sandwich is it totally embodies Italian cuisine - minimal high quality ingredients that perfectly complement each other. The brioche bun is soft and a little sweet. The Ricotta/Caciocavallo spread is creamy, salty, and almost a little meaty. The olive oil is incredibly fruity and adds a little lubrication. The chickpea fritter has a great crisp to it - not heavy, but really light. Perfect balance. The only thing holding this back from a wtf sandwich is it was a tad dry, not terribly so but just a little.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Food Truck Oatmeal

2011-09-29T21:59:00.004-04:00

A great thing about working in downtown NYC is the access to the coliseum of food trucks. One such truck that rawks is the vegetarian food truck that serves steel cut oatmeal. This stuff is unbelievable with textures a bit like risotto and delicious with the soymilk, banana, and raisins. Amazing that this comes out of a food truck considering the fancy deli at work serves more expensive oatmeal with texture like Elmer's Glue - no bueno.

The Hudson House

2011-09-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Intro
The Hudson House - Dude Grade: B+
134 Main Street
Nyack, NY 10960
Phone: (845) 353-1355

The wife and I like stopping by Nyack, NY for a little mini get away. It's a beautiful drive especially during fall foliage season with views of the majestic hudson river. They also have some decent restaurants with a Hoboken feel - tons of restaurants and bars. Checking out some of the local reviews, The Hudson House seemed to be a favorite of the locals so we decided to check it out. Good call as the food we had was pretty damn delicious.

Our Menu
Lump Crab Cake *
Endive & Apple Salad, Curried Tomato Sauce, Cumin Vinaigrette
Crab cake was done nicely here. Nice and light with the crab cake being almost all crab. The apple salad and curried tomato sauce was a nice complement to the crab cake.

Gnocchi **
The gnocchi was just what I wanted that day and awesome with the peas. The gnocchi was nicely made also - not heavy and doughy.

Indian Ridge Pork Chop ***
I love me some pork and I have to say this is by far the best pork chop I've ever had. Awesome crust on the outside, 100% perfectly cooked, juicy and with an insanely porky flavor - unlike any chop I've ever had. Great with the accompanying parsnip puree and sauces. For me, the place is worth the drive just for this pork chop.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (B+) – Bistro/comfort food done very well.
Service (B+) – Server was very attentive, checking up on us multiple times. Food came at a decent clip too.
Atmosphere (B-) – An old timey type of feel with tin ceilings, brick wall, and nice photos of the hudson river. It is pretty damn dark inside though.
Price (C) – Entrees were around $28-31 which was a tad pricey, but totally worth it based on the quality they were serving. Minus points for false advertising - the website mentioned 3 courses and a glass of wine for $44 on certain days...it still has that deal up on the website. We were there on a valid day, but for some reason they said they were not serving it...kinda shite in my opinion.

Closing Comments
Definitely my go-to place when I'm in the area. Pork chop alone would be worth the visit, but I want to check out the chicken as well.

Smile :-D

2011-09-27T11:11:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the littlest things can make a big guy smile.

And sometimes it can rob it, too - like when this was full... and then empty :-(

Good thing I bought a case!

Epic Weekend

2011-09-26T09:24:00.000-04:00

Lechon

2011-09-25T21:53:00.002-04:00

Met up lord fluffernutter and the crew for a 15 pound suckling pig done up latino style. The meat was juicy, tender, and quite porky. I've had suckling pig many a time, but this was pretty delicious with the garlicky/sour/sweet mojo. Btw - the plate below was just one of two plates - oh yeah and we killed both plates between 6 people.

15 min Quick-Fire Dinner

2011-09-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

1- Throw Magret and Merguez on the Grill.
2- Cut Pont Leveque and let temper.
3- Wash and toss salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And toss
in Cherry Tomatoes.
4- Let Magret rest and slice along with Merguez.
5- Plate and garnish with Olives and Country Bread.

How To Cook A Wolf - Review

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Intro
How To Cook A Wolf - Dude Grade: A-
2208 Queen Anne Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109-2312
Phone: (206) 838-8090 ‎

Visiting the in-laws out in Seattle and the one thing my father-in-law always wants to do is eat non-Chinese food since he eats it all the time. He was requesting some Italian food, which made me a little concerned since there's just so much crappy Italian restos out there. Hitting up my usual channels (tastingmenu.com, chow, yelp) and I zero in on this place and what a great decision. Highly highly recommended.

Our Menu
Octopus **
Avocado Puree, Pickled Radish, Cucumber
Incredibly delicious dish and great way to start the meal. This totally had the momofuku feel going on with bright flavors (pickled radish), great textures (creamy avocado, crunchy cucumbers), and the perfectly tender octopus.

Melon Salad **
Hot Coppa, Watercress, Walnut
Another perfect combo - the cantaloupe and watermelon were so ripe, delicious, and floral which was perfectly offset by the porky spicy salami, bitter watercress, and crunchy walnuts. Forget the classic melon and prosciutto combo, this is definitely the way to go from now on.

Heirloom Tomato **
Pine Nut, Soft Boiled Egg, Pecorino-Romano
I'm definitely a slut for anything with egg on it and this made so much sense. Great combo as usual and the salty pecorino just made everything pop so much more. The only thing holding the dish back from being a WTF dish for me was the heirlooms while super delicious, I wish it had a lil more tomato pop - needed a lil more ripening.

Chicken Liver Mousse **
Gooseberry, Crostini
Chicken liver mousse is so damn delicious and this was just perfect. Earthy, rich and awesome with the tart/sweet gooseberry.

Lobster Mushroom ***
Bacon, Green Bean, Fried Duck Egg
Another dish to fulfill my egg and bacon needs. Combo was awesome and the surprise was the perfectly cooked and uber flavorful green beans.

Potato Gnocchi **
Chanterelle, Corn, Parmigiano-Reggiano
We were disgustingly full at this point, so most dishes wouldn't have been that tasty but this some how ended up being pretty great. Gnocchi was so light, airy, and delicious - not that heavy doughy crap which most people serve. A great combo of flavors and uber delicious.

Squid Ink Spaghetti
Clams, Chiles, Basil
The only pass of the night for me. Not bad by any means, but this should be an easy home run. The pasta was cooked nicely, but it was too dry. Needed more clam juice/pasta water to give it that silkiness that it deserves. Clams were very sweet and tasty though.

Rating System

--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A-) – Food was so damn delicious with incredibly pretty plating - colors totally popped off the plate.
Service (B-) – Server was very friendly, but the food took a little while to come out.
Atmosphere (B+) – Relatively tiny place that seats maybe 50 or so. Hip place that's all brick wall or wood with a ceiling that's completely arched up. Place was packed with couples of all ages - young and old. Definitely dug the vibe here and pretty laid back atmosphere.
Price (A) – $100 for all the above for 4 peeps. Plates are $8-15 which is 1000% worth it.

Closing Comments
This place is so damn good that I wish we had an italian joint like this in NY. Definitely a momofuku vibe with the food, so maybe the Chang-er will want to do some Italian riff eventually. The father-in-law said he wants to go back the next time we're out there and I'll have to agree with him.

Brewing Pioneers Toast the Arrival of Japanese Craft Beer with a Discussion & Tasting at Japan Society

2011-09-19T11:27:00.000-04:00

Japan's Beer Revolution: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Japanese Craft Brewing

Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 6:30, at Japan Society

New York, NY – Japan is a new power participant in the global craft beer movement, according to a recent Slate exposé. “Beyond high-quality renderings of popular Belgian, German, and American styles,” notes the article, “many breweries are experimenting with Japanese flavors, like ginger, yuzu, or even fist-sized Uramura oysters.” Thanks to Japanese craftsmanship, gourmet ingredients and attention to quality, the country has experienced a revolution, adding to the global craft beer industry’s overall retail sales growth of 12% in 2010.

In Japan Society’s first-ever craft beer talk and tasting, Japan's Beer Revolution: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Japanese Craft Brewing, Bryan Baird, of Baird Beer of Numazu, Japan, and Brooklyn Brewery’s Steve Hindy discuss the 17-year history of craft brewing in Japan, offering critical review of the good, bad and ugly of an industry that has struggled to find its bearings in parallel with the rest of the world. They also look at how changes in laws in Japan allowed microbreweries to take off in 1994 (similar to what occurred in the U.S. in 1979), and discuss the range of brews currently available in the U.S.

The discussion takes place October 5 at 6:30 pm, and is followed by a tasting of over 20 kinds of beer. Samples are available from at least 10 breweries including Baird Beer, Brooklyn Brewery, Coedo Brewery, Dieu du Ciel, Echigo Beer Company, Ise Kadoya, Kiuchi Brewery (Hitachino), Orion Breweries Ltd., Ryujin Shuzo Co., and Stone Brewing Co. Some of the beers will be specially brewed using gourmet Japanese ingredients for the Japan Society, some are brewed in honor the victims of the March 11 earthquake in Japan, and some stem from unique U.S.-Japan collaborations.

“New Yorkers are rediscovering their rich beer heritage as seen in the explosion of craft beer bars, beer gardens, and beer-food pairings,” says Devin Stewart, senior program director at Japan Society, and sometimes beer blogger. “At the same time, Japan’s contributions are trickling into the U.S. market. This program should not only give connoisseurs and novices alike a handle on the history, but also introduce some delicious new flavors and surprising complexities.”

A central force in advancing Japan’s craft been revolution, Bryan Baird is founder of Baird Beer. He holds an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

One of the pioneers craft beer movement in America in the 1980s, Steve Hindy is co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery. He was formerly a foreign correspondent with the Associated Press and was named one of Crain’s New York’s top entrepreneurs in 2009.

Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a world-class, multidisciplinary hub for global leaders, artists, scholars, educators, and English and Japanese-speaking audiences. At the Society, more than 100 events each year feature sophisticated, topically relevant presentations of Japanese art and culture and open, critical dialogue on issues of vital importance to the U.S., Japan and East Asia. An American nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, the Society cultivates a constructive, resonant and dynamic relationship between the people of the U.S. and Japan.

Japan's Beer Revolution: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Japanese Craft Brewing takes place Wednesday, October 5, at 6:30 pm. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd St.) Tickets are $25/$20 Japan Society Corporate and Individual members, seniors and students. For reservations or more information, visit www.japansociety.org or call the box office at 212-715-1258.

Corporate programs are generously supported by Japan Society Global Leaders & Corporate Partners. Global Leaders are Citigroup, Deloitte, Mizuho Securities USA, and United Airlines. Corporate Partners are Toyota Motor North America and WL Ross & Co. LLC. Japan Airlines is the exclusive Japanese Airline sponsor of Lecture Programs at Japan Society. United Airlines is the exclusive U.S. Airline sponsor of Lecture Programs at Japan Society. Additional support is provided by Chris A. Wachenheim and the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Shannon Jowett, 212-715-1205, sjowett@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara, 212-715-1249, kshiobara@japansociety.org

Yam and Ginger Soup

2011-09-18T23:05:00.004-04:00

At the local Korean grocery store and they were passing out some purple yams to try. They were pretty damn fun and I decided to try and recreate this delicious sweet potato soup I had in Taiwan. It came out awesome and visually it just popped with the purple color. Pretty simple and delicious stuff especially in this cold weather - something about ginger in a warm soup that's super comforting. And don't worry, it won't be too sweet.

1) Peel and cut up 3 purple yams and dump in a pot of cold water - sweet potatoes would work just fine.
2) Add a knob of peeled/smashed ginger, pinch of salt, and a 1/4 cup honey.
3) Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Sandra Lee - Semi Real?

2011-09-17T09:42:00.003-04:00

Here's a clip of some outakes from Sandra Lee's food network show dropping some eff bombs and feeling herself up...not so priss and prim.

Hualien

2011-09-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Intro
Silks Place Taroko Hotel - Dude Grade: A-
No. 18, TiānXiáng Rd, Sioulin Township
Hualien County, Taiwan 972

Our final tour of Taiwan led us to Hualien, a beautiful town up in the mountains on the east side of Taiwan. The wife did a fantastic job and we stayed at the beautiful Silks Place Taroko Hotel. Although we stayed in the hotel most of the time, the food was pretty damn delicious and the views in the hotel were amazing. Highly, highly recommended.

Mei-Yuan Restaurant Menu
Assiette of Appetizers **
A delicious cold appetizer plate - octopus was tender with a slightly sweet sauce. The veggies were so delicious - crunchy and very flavorful.

Braised Scallop "XO" Sauce *
As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of the scallop dishes in chinese cuisine since they're usually boiled in oil till they're tasteless. These still had that boiled texture but at least the scallops were pretty sweet and tasty with the veggies and the xo sauce.

Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin **
Insanely tender beef with decent beef flavor. It was great with the julienned scallions and the slightly sweet sauce.

Soft Shell Crab Tempura, Japanese Mayonnaise **
I love me some soft shell crab and this was pretty damn fun. Coating was light and crispy and the crab flavor still came through.

Braised Pork Tendons with Rock Sugar ***
One of my favorite food memories in Taiwan is the delicious Don Po Ro. This has the essence of the don po ro (slight sweet, insanely porky, tender) but instead of it being pork belly, this was using a bone in cut. So delicious and great with white rice.

"Sate ayam" Chicken Satay, Peanut Sauce
Crispy and pretty juicy chicken which is usually a-ok in my book, but the curry powder was a lil too en-tense. I still finished the thing, so it was a borderline good dish.

Stir Fried Seasonal Vegetables *
Sauteed gali-chi (taiwan cabbage) - sweet and slightly crunchy. Can't ever complain about this - it's always delicious and my favorite cabbage.

Steamed Sliced Fish with Fish Sauce **
An incredibly delicate fish perfectly steamed. Great flavors on this bad boy.

Palm Heart with Spare Ribs Soup **
A surprisingly light broth that had this beautifully sweet and slightly porky undertone. Definitely a broth that puts you in a comforting mood.

Beef Noodle Soup *
This wasn't part of the set menu, but the wife wanted to order it and so glad we did. Solid noodles, tender beef, and pretty delicious broth.

Desserts ***
A big surprise in the dessert section as we had this incredibly buttery and flaky pastry served with sweetened pork - the Taiwanese love their pork. The other dessert was this marshmallow type texture that tasted of sweet milk. Both were big time wtf dishes.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Hotel/Restaruant Experience

Food (B+) – Surprisingly delicious food at a hotel.
Service (A) – Hotel staff were excellent. When you first arrive, you get tea, a hot towel, and some cookies. The restaurant staff were extremely accommodating and the food comes out pretty quick.
Atmosphere (A) – The hotel itself is definitely a top tier hotel (not the best), but what sells this place is the beautiful surroundings. You're up in the mountains and at night you can actually see the stars perfectly. A 10 minute drive and you see an incredibly blue ocean. Great stuff.
Price (N/A) – We got a phenomenal deal at the hotel, but it regularly costs $600 a night which is pretty damn pricy. The dinner was 800NTD which comes out to $30 a head which is a phenomenal deal. 100% worth it overall

Closing Comments
An incredibly beautiful place and definitely so glad we saw the area. Oh and their breakfast buffet rocks also :)

Taiwan Bento Box

2011-09-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

The Taiwan railroad system is quite convenient and the thing you must get is the bento box (Tai Tyeh Byen Dang) which costs $2 USD...not a typo. It is friggin fantastic. Smothered pork chop, marinated hard boiled egg, sausage, picked vegetables, tofu shreds, and cabbage served over white rice. So, satisfying in terms of flavor as well as filling as hell. Great stuff.

Kenting

2011-09-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

Our second visit to a city outside of Taipei was Kenting, a beach town on the south-side of the island. This place is beautiful and made me think this is what Hawaii would be like. Beautifully blue water, palm trees, and lush green mountains. Besides the beautiful scenery, they got some real good eats and here's a sampling...

Meat Buns (Da Ro Bao) ***
Shao Du Bao Ze (小杜包子)
Address: 屏東縣恆春鎮恆公路18號及20號
I've had this dish a ton of times, but this version floored me - definitely the best I've ever had. The bun was so fluffy and light as a cloud. The meat flavor/texture was perfect as well - such a big porky flavor and it came with this super meaty broth. I could really eat 3 of these things in one sitting and still want more - I had 2 and was mad I didn't get more when I finished :) The red bean/mochi version was just as killer as well

Street Food - Shrimps **
There's one main street that's full of street vendors with plenty o' delicious food to be had. This was my favorite there. Huge shrimps that's stir fried with some garlic, ginger, and scallions and seasoned with white pepper and salt. Friggin fantastic. Shrimps are so delicious and sucking the heads are phenomenal. Only complaint is you will definitely get your hands incredibly dirty (go to the 7-11 and get wet naps) and it's impossible to find garbage cans there (7-11 again).

Oysters **
Fried Fish **
Xian Yu Keh Zhan (鮮魚客棧)
Address: 屏東縣恆春鎮船帆路232號
Taking our scooter around town, we stopped by this local seafood joint which was recommended by the locals. This place serves incredibly fresh fish and you can pick which fish you want to eat. Kinda cool seeing fisherman walk in during the afternoon showing off the local catch that day too. Any who, oysters done thai style was delicious - sour, sweet, spicy and delicious monster oysters. The fish was really fresh and incredibly tasty fried up until crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Place inside is pretty dingy, but it doesn't matter when you're eating fresh fish across the street from the ocean.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Funny in Taiwan

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Went to a Thai/Burmese restaurant in Kenting, Taiwan (more on that later) and I noticed this funny misspelling . Maybe they're trying to offer the full Bangkok experience?

Tainan

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

The wife was excellent planning this trip to Taiwan as she made sure I saw more than just Taipei this time around. Our first city outside Taipei was Tainan - known as a food nerds paradise and the food was pretty damn delish. Tainan is near the water (west-side), so you see a ton of oyster dishes. Here’s a sampling of the more memorable dishes from Tainan.

Our Menu
Owa-Zen (Eggs and Oysters) ***
I’ve had this dish a ton in Taipei and back home in the states, but this was the best version (at Gua Hwa Jeh 國華街三段) I’ve ever had. Egg flavor was very prominent (which usually is not the case) and the oysters were so flavorful and juicy. The texture was definitely sex on a plate as it was so silky and perfectly cooked. It made sense as this 70+ year old dude just cooks that dish only all day – nothing else. He also cleaned up the tables which I thought was funny, but this dude works hard for his money.

O-Deh (Fried pork and oysters) **
This reminded me of an arancini – a big fried ball of goodness. Inside was juicy oyster and delicious ground pork. Another prevalent thing I’ve noticed in Taiwan were bean sprouts which I saw in a ton of other dishes – here it adds a nice crunch. We were eating this and I was freaking out on the street how good it was that two American tourists stopped by and said I need to have me some…you’re welcome dudes.

Yuen Zhu Ming Shi Ban Kao Ro (Aboriginal Grilled Pork) **
Like all cultures, the Taiwanese had their original Aboriginal peeps before the Chinese moved over. At most night markets, you'll see these homeboys with their headbands listening to their tribal music. If you see these dudes, you need to stop and immediately order their mixed pork dish. It's friggin phenomenal - bacon and pork that's so juicy, porky, and slightly sweet. Great with the accompanying pickled vegetables and raw garlic. All for $3USD. Side note - the Tainan Night Market is one of the most organized night markets I've ever seen - multiple rows of food stalls all side by side. Much better than the chaos that is the Shilin night market - a jungle of long roads that's difficult to find where the food is located.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Chil House Restaurant - Review

2011-09-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

Intro
Chili House Restaurant - Dude Grade: A
四川吳抄手 (Szechuan Woo Chao So)
No. 250-3, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 4
台北市忠孝東路四段250號之3
Phone: 886 2 2721 6088

We’re incredibly lucky as we have a good amount of friends in Taiwan and our homegirl Paulina took us out to this ridiculously delicious Szechuan joint. When I think of Szechuan food, I think of blow your socks off spicy food, but not so at this place – there’s a ton of balance and restraint with some good heat as an undertone. Really delicious stuff and we’ll have to up our ante next time Paulina visits since she keeps on taking us to phenomenal places.

Our Menu

Glutinous Rice with Pork Ribs **
Rice had this great sticky texture which was permeated by this porky goodness. Ribs were knock your socks off delish.

Dan Dan Mien **
Nice and chewy noodles with this awesome balance between meaty, sweet, and heat – both very subtle and not overpowering.

Pork Dumplings **
These were incredibly addicting – the meat flavor/texture with the spicy sauce was friggin awesome. The texture was pretty silky which was something new for me as most dumplings I'm accustomed to have either a thin or chewy texture.

Bamboo ***
Bamboo is in season in Taiwan so we’re seeing them all over Taipei and these were the best we had. Fried and crispy on the outside with that pleasing soft crunch on the inside. The flavors were so nutty and sweet which were intensified by the chilis/shallots/garlic coating. So pissed we can’t get this quality of bamboo in the states – everything is jarred here and the vacuum packed stuff sucks.

Fried Tofu ***
Another amazing wtf type dish. Soft silken tofu with a light frying on the outside – not crispy, but just to set it so it’s not all soft. Flavors were dyno-mite. Slightly sweet, a little salty, very meaty, and a lil spicy.

Hot Pot **
The last time I had Szechuan hot pot, I felt ill since it was so damn spicy and I love me some spicy food. This was phenomenal – very spicy, but not so much where your innards are melting. We ordered a ton of meats and they were the best I’ve ever had in a Chinese hot pot. Lamb was intensely lamby, pork was ridiculous, and the beef had marbling like I’ve only seen in Japanese restaurants via shabu shabu or yakiniku. After cooking/eating all the meats, the flavor of the broth was magical.

Fish with Hot Bean Paste (Do Ban You) **
Very fresh fish with this meaty spicy bean paste going on. The fish was incredibly soft and delicious.

Fried Shrimp Balls **
Crispy and insanely light and fluffy on the inside. Pretty spectacular texture and solid flavor.

Peas and Chicken **
Very tiny peas that were almost crunchy, but pleasantly so. Great flavor and uber tasty with the rice.

Beef Stomach ***
I always order this dish at Szechuan restaurants and this was the best version I’ve ever had. Great flavor, incredibly spicy and awesome with the julienned scallions which were sweet and spicy.

Tofu Soup **
A nice delicate tofu soup – flavor of the sweetened water was very pleasant and the tofu was incredibly soft and delicious.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A) – Best Szechuan restaurant I’ve been to.
Service (C) – Food comes out quick and the servers were standard Chinese efficient but not very pleasant.
Atmosphere (B) – A nicer looking joint with darker wood for tables and well lit inside. Place was packed when we got there and packed when we left – maybe 4 families waiting for tables.
Price (N/A) – As with all our friends, we were not allowed to pay since we were visiting. The bill came out to around 5000NTD/181 USD for 8 people / 22 USD per person – a ridiculous value for US standards.

Closing Comments
I absolutely looove this place. I dig me some spicy food and this was the best spicy food place I’ve ever been to – such great balance. Definitely on the long list of places I want to go back to when I’m back in Taipei.

On a side note, our homegirl Paulina also bought us this award winning Taiwanese bread - the bakery placed first place in the 2010 Bakery Masters held in Paris. This bad boy has wine soaked litchis and walnuts - a surprisingly uber delicious bread.

Guest House - Review

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Intro
Guest House - Dude Grade: D
1 Nanking West Road 3rd Fl, Taipei, Taiwan
Phone: 886 2 2563 2171

After a great experience eating at high end restaurants in Shanghai, I wanted to see what Taipei had to offer. These type of restaurants with set menus allowed us to try multiple dishes since we could never order this many courses just for the two of us – we tried that our last time at Shin Yeh and I needed a vomitorium afterwards. At first inspection, I noticed all the high end restaurants served either Hong Kong or Shanghai food - guess it makes sense since those two areas are considered very international and posh. I decided to go with the Guest House which was ranked #2 in some local food guide in terms of Non Western high end food. Food was decent, but nothing really great and the service was awful. A big time pass for this dude.

Our Menu

Double-boiled Fish Maw Soup with Bamboo Pith *
Relatively flavorful broth that was a little meaty and a little sweet. Some nice balance in the soup.

Steamed King Prawn with Garlic Sauce *
Decently sweet prawns that were not overcooked. It was good and the sauce was delicious, but the shrimp temperature was borderline cold and it definitely wasn’t meant to be. A bad sign of things to come.

Stir Fried Scallops and Clams with Asparagus
I love me some scallops, just never from a Chinese restaurant. The beauty of scallops is to have a hard sear on them to give them texture and also bring out a nice sweetness to them. Chinese scallops are usually boiled in oil till rubbery and lacquered in some thick sauce...here is a representation of that.

Braised Red Yeast Pork Ribs
The dish I was looking forward to the most – it was written about in a lot of papers/blogs out there. Unfortunately, this dish was pretty disappointing. I dig texture and chew on some things – chicken is OK in my book to have a little chew. However, chewy ribs/pork belly is not acceptable. Chewing on hardened fat/gelatin is not a pleasant texture and pretty eff’n nasty. Flavor wise it was OK too, not as much porkiness more sweetness.

Braised Baby Vegetables with Crispy Garlic *
Again, a dish you might expect in NYC Chinatown with the heavily thickened sauce, but this was pretty tasty.

Deep Fried Bream with Crispy Garlic **
The only dish that showed some restraint and delicateness. Texture was light and delicious and the flavor of the fish was definitely the star. The fry dude should get some props for this dish.

Seasonal Fresh Fruits ***
Sad that this was by far the best course of the night. Eating fruits in a tropical environment leads to explosive flavors. The kiwi was by far the best I’ve ever had – sweet and such a pleasing flavor. The pineapple was also intensely flavorful. Some great fruit they picked out here.

Sweet Fuguo and Taro Soup *
A pretty delicious sweet soup. Think taro milk bubble tea and you get pretty close. Another of thinner soups which kicks massive ars.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (C) – Not terrible, but not great either.
Service (D-) – The worst fine dining service I’ve ever had in my life (Bouley is 2nd worst). So we got a set tasting menu with the same exact number of dishes, but my wife got two of her dishes before I got anything. When she got her third, then I got my first. They finally caught me up, but it turned out to be the opposite where I was 2 dishes ahead over her. The food also took way too eff’n long to come out. My wife had fried dumplings as her final course and I think it took around 20 minutes to get to her – it was only 2 eff’n fried dumplings that was nothing to write home about. Also, servers didn’t apologize, but we complained to the manager and she gave us a free course (hence the D- instead of an F). Big time wtf in a bad way.
Atmosphere (B) – Classy looking joint that reminded me of Shanghai where you eat in these almost private rooms – sharing a room with only 2 other tables. Place consisted of large groups with some Japanese tourists – no doubt suckered in by the shitty reviews from the other non-dudes blogs.
Price (F) – Incredibly pricey for Taiwan standards (1500 NTD|55 USD for me and 2000 NTD|73 USD for the wife) for shitty service and average food. Fail. As a reference point, you can get some delicious food at the food court for 150NTD|5 USD or street food where a ton of delicious dumplings cost 20NTD|0.72 USD.

Closing Comments
That was my last time at a high end restaurant in Taipei for just the wife and me. If other people take us out, that would be fine since they’ll know what’s up, but the wife and I will stick with the street food and phenomenal food courts going forward.

Mountainside Eats - Review

2011-09-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Intro
Ching Tsai Yuen (青菜園)- Dude Grade: A-
112 Taiwan Taipei City Beitou District
(台北市北投區竹子湖路55號之11)
Phone: +886 2 2861-9165

One of the main places I wanted to eat at was in the mountains (yang ming san), since I had such a phenomenal mountain side meal during my first trip to Taiwan. Something about eating up in the mountains breathing that fresh air and eating all food grown/raised nearby makes for a phenomenal eating experience. Although expectations were very high, it met them in every way.

Our Menu

Mountain Chicken (San Gee) ***
Although I had this just a couple of days ago at the phenomenal Jabez Lohas, this was better. Flavor was so intensely chickeny and it was so awesome with the sweet soy, chili dipping sauce.

Cabbage (gali chi) *
Slightly sweet and a tad crunchy cabbage. Good textural contrast and almost palate cleansing qualities for the rest of the meal. The inlaws make their cabbage very soft and sweet, but all the cabbage I’ve had on this trip have been more this style.

Stir Fried Noodles (Chao Mien) *
Pretty good stir fried noodles with cabbage, carrots, and shrimps. This was similar to the stuff you get in NYC Chinatown, but definitely done better. The wife was a big fan of this dish.

Stir Fried Clams **
Delicious sweet baby clams garnished with almost thai style flavorings – basil, chilis, slightly sour/slightly sweet (nowhere near as aggressive as normal Thai food). I’ve been noticing this style of cooking a lot in Taiwan, which was kinda surprising to me.

Snow Pea Shoots **
Perfectly cooked veggies – tender with a little bit of crispness. The flavors were perfect, so delicate, nutty, and slightly sweet.

Taro and Taro Leaves **
I had no idea what to expect of this dish, but I ended up being blown away. I’ve had taro many a time and this was delicious (starchy, slightly sweet), but I’ve never had the roots/leaves of the taro plant. It was almost like the sweetest leek braised down completely. A big time delicious dish that I’ll never get stateside.

Chicken Soup and Bamboo ***
Whereas the chicken soup at Jabez Lohas was the rich man’s version – tons of expensive ingredients (shark fin, abalone, etc), the one here was the simple version which was still completely wtf phenomenal. Massive chicken flavor with this great sweetness throughout due to the incredible bamboo. This bamboo was lights out good – nutty, sweet, and texturally off the charts, slightly crisp but still very tender.

Sweet Potato Soup ***
The Chinese love their soups, so this was the second of the night and it was equally incredible. Such a light pure flavor of yams and it was so simple – just yams, ginger, and maybe a little sugar. The one thing I love about this soup is the texture is basically like water, not thick and creamy like most European style soups. This leads to a very pure focus of the star ingredient.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

Food (A) – Awesome comfort food and so in my strikezone.
Service (B) – Food came out very quick and the servers were nice to our table since our guests seem to go there often. I expect most people would get the standard cold shoulder treatment there otherwise.
Atmosphere (B) – Super ghetto inside with cheap plastic tablecloths (think saran wrap) and cement floors. But looking outside and you have the mountains and a gorgeous view of Taipei. That negates any ghettoness inside for me. The place was 75% full when we got there and 100% when we left which was near closing time. All Chinese/Taiwanese in there and no English anywhere.
Price (N/A) - We weren’t allowed to pay although my wife tried which almost caused our host to judo throw her – she was furious unlike any anger I’ve ever seen before. It would have been entertaining except for the violence in the hosts eyes.

Closing Comments
Whenever I’m in Taiwan, I have to go back to the Mountainside for eats. It’s simple cooking with the best ingredients done incredibly well.

Pork Jerky

2011-09-05T23:32:00.006-04:00

The great thing about Taipei is you can walk down any street and find some awesome eats. As we were walking by a ton of shops, I saw Bee Cheng Hiang, a joint that specializes in dried pork - originally from Singapore. Think beef jerky, but 1000x better. This thing is still juicy since it's got a good amount of fat in it and it's slightly sweet and spicy, but still intensely porky. A complete WTF moment and highly recommended by this dude.

This joint is a chain, so you should be able to find a bunch.

Bee Chen Hiang
Roosevelt Road, Sec 6-1 (opposite Taiwan University)
No.6-1, Sec.4, Roosevclt Rd, Taipei, Taiwan ROC

Labor Day Dawgs

2011-09-05T23:27:00.002-04:00

Lord fluffernutter had some people over and I discovered pickled chiles and caramelized onions make an explosive topping for a hot dog. No other condiment needed.

Shark fin soup faces extinction in California

2011-09-04T12:22:00.003-04:00

Looks like a local delicacy shark fin soup maybe banned in Cali. Shark's fin soup although pretty tasty is not all that great. I'd rather have a great chicken soup any day...

Din Tai Fung Revisit

2011-09-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

After the disappointing xiao long bao from Shanghai last year, I wanted to see how one of my favorites, Din Tai Fung, would stack up against it. Light years better than the stuff in Shanghai which is a shame since Shanghai and that region is the birth place of xiao long bao.

Our Menu
Pork Xiao Long Bao *
The dumpling skin is beautifully folded and insanely resilient – no matter how you poke and prod it with your chopstick the skin will not rip. Pork flavor and broth is solid, but I like something with a little more punch.

Pork and Truffle Xiao Long Bao **
Gimicky, but still delicious. The truffle amps up the flavor and complements the pork nicely.

Pork and Crab Xiao Long Bao **
My favorite of the XLB’s. Crab and pork are such an awesome combo in terms of texture and taste.

Squash Long Bao
A pass for me. We had the same version in SF and it was much better – subtle sweetness of the squash is kind of hidden and almost bland.

Fried Rice ***
I know I know, fried rice is Americanized food, but the wife loves the stuff and the ones they serve here are friggin’ phenomenal. Not too oily with all the components (eggs, scallions, and sweet/juicy shrimp) perfectly distinct in terms of flavor/texture, while at the same time being perfectly harmonized. A complete WTF fried rice.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Closing Comments
Din Tai Fung is a phenomenal xiao long bao place. The skin is the best here, but the combo of meat, broth, and skin I've had better elsewhere - maybe Cali?