Craigie on Main (Boston): Cocktails, Fried Pig's Tails

One of the best meals I had in Boston was at Craigie on Main. The James Beard Finalist's website reads like a list of food trends of the year: locavore, seasonal, sustainable, nose-to-tail. Though some have gotten jaded with these terms, the bottom line is the menu sounds, looks, smells, and tastes great.

Local Forest Mushroom, farm-fresh poached egg, herbs, flowers

Walking in the front door, you run right into the kitchen and you see all the actions immediately.

There are a lot of ordering options here from the seasonal tasting menu, the reasonably priced prix-fixe, the a la carte menu, or the bar menu. We ended up ordering a mix of the a la carte and bar menu.

Since Craigie was recommended to me by LushAngeles I knew their cocktails had to be at least pretty good. Well, the one drink I had was perfect and balanced:  

Northern Lights (St. Germain, scotch, citrus, Craigie Tiki bitters) - $11

If you hadn't noticed from the list of ingredients, yes, they make their own bitters (and infusions).

Read more »

Boston Restaurant Reviews (Boston, MA)

#
75 on Courthouse Square (Seaport)

A
Abby Park (Milton, MA)
Alden and Harlow (Cambridge)
Ames Street Deli (Cambridge)
Amorino (Back Bay)
Amsterdam Falafel Shop (Davis Square, Somerville)
Anna's Taqueria (multiple locations)
Area Four (Cambridge)
Artu (North End)

B
B & G Oysters (South End)
Backbar (Somerville)
The Baldwin Bar (Woburn)
Bar Boulud (Back Bay)
Barking Crab (Fort Point)
Beat Brasserie (Cambridge)
Bel Ari (Leather District)
Belle Isle Seafood (Winthrop)
Beta Burger (Roxbury)
BISq (Inman Square, Cambridge)
Blue Dragon (Fort Point)
Boston Chops (SoWa)
Bostonia Public House
Brelundi (Waltham)
Brick and Mortar (Cambridge)
The Brook Kitchen and Tap (Holbrook, South Shore)
BurgerFi (West Roxbury)
by CHLOE (Seaport)

C
Cafe Sushi (Cambridge)
Cambridge Brewing Company (Cambridge)
Clio (Back Bay)
Club Passim (Cambridge)
Coppa (South End)
Craigie on Main (Cambridge)

Del Frisco's Grille (Burlington)
Drink (Fort Point)

E
Earl's Kitchen + Bar at Prudential Center (Back Bay)
East by Northeast (Cambridge) - CLOSED
Ebi Sushi (Somerville)
The Elephant Walk (Cambridge)
Estragon (South End) - $1 tapas

F
Fiorella's (Newton)
Fleming's Steakhouse (Back Bay) - late night happy hour
Freshii (Back Bay)
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe (Chinatown)
Gourmet Dumpling House (Chinatown)

H
Hojoko (Fenway Kenmore)
The Hourly (Harvard Square)
Island Creek Oyster Bar (Fenway Kenmore)
Izakaya Ittoku (Allston)

K
Kareem's (Watertown)
The Kinsale (downtown / Government Center)
Kirkland Tap and Trotter (Somerville)
KO Catering and Pies (South Boston)

L
LA Burdick (Cambridge)
Lansdowne Pub (Fenway)
Les Zygomates (Leather District)
Loretta's Last Call Tavern (Fenway)
Lucky's Lounge (Fort Point)
Lulu's (Allston)

M
Max and Leo's (Fenway)
Mission on the Bay (North Shore / Swampscott)
Muqueca (Cambridge)
Myers and Chang (South End)
Nebo (Waterfront)
Neptune Oyster (North End)

O
OAK Long Bar + Kitchen (Back Bay)
Odyssey Cruise: champagne brunch cruise
Ogawa Coffee (Downtown)
Ostra (Back Bay)
O Ya (Leather District)

P
Pabu (Downtown)
Post 390 (Back Bay)

R
Ribelle (Brookline)
Rino's Place (East Boston)
Russell House Tavern (Cambridge)

S
Santarpio's Pizza (East Boston)
Sarma (Somerville)
Select Oyster Bar (Back Bay)
Shake Shack (Cambridge)
Shojo (Chinatown)
Sichuan Garden II (Woburn)
State Park (Cambridge / Kendall Square)
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen (Cambridge / Kendall Square)
Summer Shack (Back Bay)
Sweet Cheeks Q (Fenway/Kenmore)

T
The Reserve at The Langham - afternoon tea (Financial District)
The Tasting Room at 51 Lincoln (Newton)
Tavern Road (Fort Point)
Ten Tables (Cambridge)
Teranga (South End)
Toro (South End)

U
Union Square Donuts (Somerville)

V
VERTS Mediterranean Grill (Downtown)

W
Wagamama (Seaport)
Waxy's Modern Bar + Kitchen (Brookline)
Waypoint (Harvard Square)
WHISK at Fazenda Cafe (Jamaica Plain)
Wink and Nod (South End)
Wu Er by Wow Barbecue (Brookline)
Yume wo Katare (Porter Square, Cambridge)

Chef Ben Bailly Takes Over Fraiche Culver City

As I've mentioned in my recent Petrossian post, Chef Benjamin Bailly recently moved to helm the kitchen at Fraiche in Culver City. Kung Food Panda, an avid fan of Ben's, organized multiple tasting dinners for friends and I was able to join one of them. The meal consisted of a belly-stretching amount of food, so instead of going through every dish, I'll just tell you about some of them.

Our multi-course meal started with two jars of  Smoked trout rillette and chicken(?) pate.


It was hard to stop eating the pate, but after my last tasting at Petrossian with Chef Bailly, I've learned that I've had to pace myself.

Then, pretending to be healthy for a bit, we had a course of three salads. Never mind that one of the salads was topped with bacon and blue cheese ..

Frisee aux Lardons (Oeuf Pane, Bacon, Blue Cheese)


Belgian Endives - (Coppa, Apples, Pecan, Goat Cheese, Truffle Vinaigrette)

This was the first hint of the multitude of truffled dishes to come. As you can imagine, the whole table went gaga sniffing the dishes.

The truffle spaghetti smelled amazing with tons of black truffles shaved on top, but I found the pasta to be too tough to really enjoy the dish. The creamy Sunchoke Risotto with Black Truffles fared much better.

Read more »

Recipe: Chicken Tamale in Green Sauce from Mama Hot Tamales

Being a graduate student has its perks. Sometimes it's pretty random, like the time Mama from Mama Hot Tamales came to Caltech show us how to make tamales.

Chicken Tamales with Green Sauce (Salsa Verde)

Masa Recipe:
1 - 5lb bag of Maseca
1 ltr of corn oil
1 tbsp baking soda
3 tsp of salt
Enough chicken broth to bring the masa to the consistency of cookie dough

To prepare the masa/dough: combine the maseca, baking powder, and salt. Add chicken broth, knead well with your hands to form dough. In a separate bowl pour cooking oil and add dough, 1/2 cup at a time, to the cooking oil, and mix until thoroughly combined.

Read more »

Valentine's Dining For $60 and Under

Nick+Stef's V-day dessert

Hamamori: $47 for three courses
Prix fixe menu selection includes wagyu beef tartare, cured yellowtail, and housemade ravioli with lobster.
South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St # 320, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 850-0880
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

Nick + Stef's Steakhouse: $59 for three courses ($69 for four courses).
Selections include yellowtail sashimi, poached loup de mer, braised Kurobuta pork belly, and oak grilled filet mignon. The pictured dessert above is Rose petal macaroon, lychee sorbet and fresh raspberry sauce.
330 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. 213 680 0330
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

Pinot Bistro: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include caviar, roasted beet salad, wild forest mushroom risotto, duo of beef and chocolate sable cake.
12969 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 990-0500

The Raymond: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include Alaskan king crab salad, sashimi, New Zealand lamb, and flexible chocolate ganache.
1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105. (626) 441-3136
Sunday, February 13th and Monday, February 14th.

RH Restaurant: $120 per couple ($60 pp) for five courses
Menu includes roasted lobster and split pea bisque vinaigrette, homemade foie gras terrine with grape marmalade, slow braised beef cheek.
8401 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (323) 785-6090

SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa: $90 for two ($45 pp)
The special V-day menu has more than the usual Nozawa menu and includes a variety of nigiri sushi, sweet shrimp, and two pieces each of toro, crab, and yellowtail handrolls. See the full menu.
Multiple Locations.

Vertical Wine Bistro: $49 for three courses
Selections include crab cakes, pan seared monkfish, beef wellington, and lemon souffle tart.
70 N. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103. (626) 795-3999

Vū Restaurant: $120 per couple ($60 pp)
A 7-course tasting including a tasting of crudos, bison carpaccio, bone marrow, King Cole duck, and dark chocolate mousse.
14160 Palawan Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 439-3033

Waterloo and City: $55 for three courses
12517 West Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90066. (310) 391-4222

The Yard: $50 for three courses (includes a glass of champagne).
Your main course selection is a Roasted Cote de Boeuf for two or a whole roasted loup de mer, and chocolate truffle tart for dessert.
119 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-6037

Zucca Ristorante: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include squid ink risotto and lobster, bone-in pork loin, and rose petal macaroon.
801 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017. (213) 614 7800.
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

And while Petrossian did not make this under $60 list, their $75 pp menu is tempting as it includes 30g caviar to share per couple!

Petrossian: Staying Strong with New Executive Chef Giselle Wellman

Bloggers' beloved chef Ben Bailly may have left Petrossian for Fraiche, but that doesn't mean we should all forget about Petrossian. Their new executive chef, Giselle Wellman, is keeping the West Hollywood restaurant going strong.

Giselle is one of a few female executive chefs in Los Angeles and previously worked at Bouchon, Jean Georges and Del Posto in New York, and Jack's La Jolla. Savory Hunter and I were lucky enough to be invite to try the new menu at Petrossian.

First thing's first: prosecco and caviar blinis.
Not that the blinis have really changed with the changing of chefs, but being at Petrossian we felt that we should start with some anyway. They're great as always.

Blinis (Caviar, Trout Roe, Salmon Roe) -$18

Then a delightful little surprise came: Egg Royal (Scrambled Egg, Vodka Whipped Cream, Caviar) -$14

Although we hadn't thought of ordering it, we're so glad Giselle decided to bring this out. This dish is somewhat rare in LA, and I usually find it at places like Providence and Melisse as a part of the tasting menu. It's good to know I can get it here without spending the dough for a whole tasting menu. It's quite different compared to the others, though. The scrambled egg was incredibly light, especially combined with the vodka whipped cream.

We mainly tasted the new items that Giselle had put on the menu, like the Smoked Sturgeon Risotto (Pressed Caviar, Chive, Crème Fraîche) -$22

An unusual flavor for a risotto (at least for me) and another table favorite. The creme fraiche balances the smoked sturgeon, and you get pleasant bursts of surprise as you encounter the caviar. The crisp apple slices act like a palate cleanser at the end of each bite.

Read more »

Giveaway: Pinkberry Swirlygram Gift Card, for Your Valentine

Now you can send the Pinkberry-lover in your life a special Valentine's delivery. From Feb 11-14, Pinkberry will hand deliver their famous frozen yogurt with toppings, gift card, or a take-home container of fro-yo complete with special V-day wrapping, balloons, and a note.
Candygram? It's Swirlygram.
All you have to do is go to a Pinkberry store and place your order (delivery is available within a certain radius of each store). You can also order online here, but that one doesn't come with balloons.

To get you going, Pinkberry is giving away a $10 Swirlygram gift card!

$10 is good for one Cupid's Swirl (prices include delivery), or pay the difference for anything else. I recommend the Blood Orange Pinkberry topped with blood orange slices.

I thought about making you tell me who you're sending it to, but I don't want to embarass people, so all you have to do is leave a comment with your contact info below.

Contest will end at NOON on Tuesday Feb 8th, leaving plenty of time for the gift card to be mailed to you.

Molecular Gastronomy Meets Southern Cooking at Vu Restaurant (Marina del Rey)

Pork Belly, crispy grits, root beer jello -$9

Executive Chef Kyle Schutte

Executive Chef Kyle Schutte calls it "progressive comfort food." His background of training in the South is apparent in his cuisine, but Schutte was also the first chef in North Carolina to incorporate molecular gastronomy techniques into his cooking before moving to California to head the kitchen at Vu Restaurant.

His pork belly dish is a good example. The pork belly is sandwiched by both sides: crispy grits on one and root beer jello on the other.

Marina del Rey seems an unlikely place for this type of restaurant and I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to it if it wasn't for a recent media dinner held there.

Our night started at the bar, where Luke the bartender made us some cocktails.

I started with the Mojo ($12) made with Death’s Door whisky, Dimmi, peppermint, honey, fresh lemon. Now, a bit on Death's Door whisky: it's a white whisky. A what now?

Death's Door Whisky comes from a Wisconsin-based spirit startup. It is double-distilled so it's clear and is 160-proof (that's 80% ABV btw). The Mojo had an herbal aftertaste - not sure if it was the white whisky or the Dimmi as I've never had either before.

The first "molecular" dish we had was probably my favorite: the“Reconstructed” Caprese Salad
balsamic-injected cherry tomatoes, basil-infused fresh mozzarella, red hawaiian sea salt, micro basil

The cherry tomato is encased in the basil-infused mozzarella. Pop everything in for a nice little bite as the juicy tomato bursts inside your mouth.

Read more »

Easy Recipes: Valerie Confections' Rustic Truffles

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, Valerie Gordon from Valerie Confections offered to share one of her recipes for my readers. If you've never tried Valerie Confections before, their salt and pepper truffles are addictive and they have some of the best toffees in town.

Don't worry, I got you covered and picked out the easiest-yet-delectable recipe (alright it's mainly so even I can make it).

Here is Valerie's recipe for her rustic chocolate truffles:

Rustic Truffles

2 1/2 cups 72% chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup unsweetened cocoa

Boil cream in a small saucepan.


Pour boiled cream over 72% chocolate, butter and salt.

Let sit for 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate melts.

Refrigerate until firm.

Using a small scoop or melon baller, scoop small rounds of ganache and drop in cocoa and coat completely.

Store in the refrigerator.

Yields: 50 truffles


Sounds easy right? And they look mighty good too. Now go and make your loved on some truffles. He/she will probably only need 20, and won't notice where the other 30 went ... ;)

Whole Foods Market Take It Up A Notch: Animal Welfare Rating, Collaboration Wines

Late last year Whole Foods Market invited some bloggers to talk about their latest efforts to be more than just a grocery store. These efforts include a partnership with Global Animal Partnership to introduce new meat rating system called the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating and exclusive wines resulting from a collaboration between Whole Foods and local wineries.

If you've read Michael Pollan's books, you're probably aware that "free range" labels on eggs, milk, and meat don't necessarily mean that the animals were treated well or were even let out of their cages much.

The 5-step rating goes beyond simple designations such as "organic", "free range" or "sustainable" but just how well are the animals being treated? To be step-rated to begin with, the farm couldn't use cages or crates.
Many of the WFM locations don't actually have all meats with the highest Step 5+ rating, which required the animals to have spent their entire lives on one farm, cattles and pigs must be slaughtered on the farm and chicken can only be transported a short distance, on top of having no physical alteration of the animal like ID tags (step 5). I'd imagine each step up will be more expensive too but at least you'd be able to deliberate over the benefit vs. price difference yourself.

The Whole Foods Market Southern Pacific Region has been working with some Santa Barbara County wineries to create blends exclusive to Whole Foods. In Fall 2010, they released two wines named "A Collaboration".

The first wine is a blend of six Santa Barbara Country vineyards created by Margerum Wine Company and is based on their M5 wine. This wine is priced at $19.99, a deal compared to their M5.
According to Whole Foods' Regional Specialty Coordinator, Claude Ruau-Choate,  this wine is representative of the European palate while the second is more California with its fruit forwardness.
The second wine comes from Hitching Post Winery and features 73% Valdiguie and 27% Syrah, priced at $12.99.

Blue Danube Wines: Unique, Interesting Varietals Along the Danube

There's a new kid in the town of wine importing.
Blue Danube Wine imports some very interesting wines from countries along the Danube river including Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.

I've never encountered or even thought about the possibility of wines from these regions with only one exception (Tokaj from Hungary), but a blogger tasting (held at Mignon in downtown LA) guided by Stetson Robbins from Blue Danube Wine really opened up my palate.

Read more »

8 Hours in Hong Kong.

An 8 hour layover in Hong Kong.

View from Victoria Harbour

Landed around sunrise.

The authentic, cheap HK food was supposed to be in the area called Causeway Bay, so I attempted to walk there. Turns out Hong Kong was really hard to get around on foot - the map doesn't tell you where things are connected on land, by bridge, or not at all. Eventually I gave up and tried out their subway system.

Causeway Bay wasn't particularly "pretty" and there were a lot of small constructions going on. Interestingly, a high end mall with stores like Louis Vuitton were located just behind a row of market stalls.


I had some trouble finding food. See, I landed very early in the morning, and turns out that most places don't open until 10 am. So I walked and walked until I found something open and interesting. In the end, I went into a hole in the wall selling fish noodle soups.

How can I say no to a pieces of tripe and intestine hanging on a window display?

Read more »

Magnum Pop-Up with Joseph Mahon and David Haskell

Oftentimes pop-up restaurants leave you to your own devices as far as booze-pairing goes. The team of chef Joseph Mahon and sommelier David Haskell (dubbed 'Magnum') promised to be different -a full tasting menu with pairings, and their own back-of-house and front-of-house team.


Chef Joseph Mahon was the latest Bastide "alum" and trained under Daniel Boulud and David Bouley in New York before moving back to California to work at David Myers' Sona. David Haskell had also worked in New York, including Le Cirque, before opening Bin 8945 in West Hollywood, which he then sold a couple years back. The pop-up was held at Biergarten in Koreatown. Koreatown?? Considering David Haskell's notorious love for Korean food, it wasn't that surprising. Mahon's menu turned out to be quite influenced by Asian cuisine (kimchi included). The pairing was also a nice mix of wine, beer, sake, and soju (hey, we're in Koreatown).

I was accompanied by Eating LA whose birthday, like mine, was coming up. It ended being a great pre-birthday dinner for both of us (read her post here).

Haskell visited each table for each course to explain the pairing that he had chosen.
The first course was Carrot Pudding  with orange granita and shaved peanuts.
Paired with: NV Jules et Michel Beauchamp: Champagne, France: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

Haskell wanted to use the strawberry notes from the rosé combined with this course to invoke the taste of a creamsicle.

#2: Coconut Soup (mussels, tapioca, cilantro pistou, lime)
Wakatake "Onigoroshi", Junmai Daiginjo: Shizuoka, Japan

Yes, it did say "tapioca" on the menu but nonetheless I was surprised by the texture it gave; the soup was a very pleasant surprise filled with great mussels. This dish along with a few others that night were nice examples of how seamlessly Chef Mahon can incorporate influences from Asian cuisine.
The richness of the coconut soup balanced out the slight bitterness of the sake.

Read more »

Whist at The Viceroy Hotel (Santa Monica)

Whist at The Viceroy Hotel seemed to have been under the radar, and there were more guests at the bar and lounge than in the dining room, which is a shame considering the talents and pedigree of the Executive Chef, Tony DiSalvo, who joined the restaurant in 2009. Executive Chef Tony DiSalvo trained under Tom Colicchio at Gramercy Tavern before working his way up at New York's Jean Georges, eventually becoming the restaurant's Executive Chef. Whist and Jean Georges are two different animals, of course, from the ambiance to the food.

I was immediately drawn to the interior and the unique touches they've put in. The wooden chairs and the curvy windows adjoining the bar speak casual, beachy, and antiquated. The dim lighting and the pentagonal lamps added a classy and modern touch. The food is Mediterranean with little fuss.

Whist and DiSalvo recently debuted a new menu in late November and I was invited to try them out.
Our meal started strong with the Beet Salad (hazelnut, truffle panna cotta, baby lettuce) - $16

Accompanying the particularly sweet and juicy beets was the creamy and wondrously aromatic truffle panna cotta.

Read more »

Chicken, Sweat, and Hot Oil

It was about 90 degrees and 70% humidity, because it always is in the tropical country of Indonesia. The sweat and humidity made our shirts stick to our skin. There's no air conditioning here. That would be too much to expect from a dive called Warung Doyong.

Warung refers to a cheap eatery, a hole in the wall if you will. Doyong, on the other hand, means "leaning." And it isn't leaning in the sense of the tower of Pisa (ooh it's a wonder of the world!) but leaning as in the place is about to collapse on itself. Even in these conditions and heat, this place in Bogor is jam packed. The fan on the wall barely helped, so you order a fresh fruit juice or three - lots of ice cubes.

What is it that we all came here for? It's none other than the fried chicken.

Here, pieces of ayam kampung (the literal translation is village chicken - they roam free, but on the streets, not on a green pasture) are fried en masse in a giant wok, spiced with turmeric, garlic, and all kinds of spices, along with serundeng (spiced, fried shredded coconut).

Read more »

Giveaway: Chef's Coat

If you're a chef, an aspiring chef, or just think you'd look cool in a chef's coat, this giveaway is for you!

Toughweld, an online workwear store, has offered to give away their bestselling chef's coat, the double-breasted coat with pearl buttons. Toughweld sells all kinds of work apparel from hospitality to chef's coat to flame resistant and safety gears.

To enter: just leave a comment below with your email address and your size.
To get extra entries, tweet about the giveaway or share it on facebook (be sure to refer to my handle @gourmetpigs or link it to my fb page so I can keep track of the entries).

The contest will end midnight of next Thursday, Jan 20.

Good luck!

Hot Potting and Much More at Happy Sheep Cafe (Rowland Heights)

The chill in the air reminded my of an overdue post about a hot pot meal at Happy Sheep in Rowland Heights. Wandering Chopsticks had blogged about the Happy Sheep location in San Gabriel, and the owners wanted to thank her in some way. That way ended up being a (free) lunch for a group of her (mostly) blogger friends.

Now, since it's been a while since this meal, I had forgotten all the prices. Luckily Wandering Chopsticks had blogged it, complete with all the price information, so I referred to her post for it.

As this is a newer location, the decor and furniture are nicer than the other location.

Their staple complimentary boiled peanuts.

Most people that come here will probably get the spicy Mongolian broth, but I can't eat spicy. Luckily, these places let you split up the broth bowl with a metal divider. Call it "yin yang" hot pot. Our table ordered the "Nourish and tonic" and "Mongolian mildly spicy" (the hot pot costs $3.50 per person, plus the dishes you order).

Read more »

Endless Chocolate Indulgence at Oliverio's Chocolate Salon

I'm a self-professed chocoholic, and so was my companion. Yet we both had to wave the white flag after morsels and morsels of chocolate desserts were brought out to us at Avalon Hotel's Oliverio. I don't think I've indulged in so much chocolates in a while!

Photo courtesy of Oliverio

About a month ago, Oliverio started Chocolate Salon, a chocolate buffet spread out next to the pool of the Avalon Hotel every Friday and Saturday nights. For $28 per person or $50 per couple, guests can partake in offerings such as the triple chocolate truffle pizzetta, chocolate martini, white hot chocolate, spicy chocolate pot de creme, and all manners of chocolate dipped goodies.

I was invited by the restaurant's PR to try it myself, and my companion and I came ready for battle. It was raining so instead of setting up a buffet at the pool, the restaurant plated everything. We sat at the small lounge/bar area which extended from the restaurant instead of in the cabanas.

We thought we should have a light dinner before digging into dessert, so we ordered some appetizers. On one hand, it was good to have something savory first. On the other, if we hadn't we would've had more room for more chocolates.

When you go for dinner, do try the smooth and creamy Tortino di Cavolfiore (cauliflower souffle, parmesano sauce) - $14

Read more »

Patisserie Philippe (San Francisco)

I spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco´s SOMA last year. One of the things I discovered there was this little patisserie, Patisserie Philippe. The macarons were in primary display atop their marble counters and the posted sign invoked Ladurée, the inventor of macaron and purportedly the best macaron shop in the whole world.

Read more »

San Francisco Bay Area

SF:
Aziza
Bar Tartine
Bissap Baobab (Mission)
Blue Bottle Cafe
Butler and the Chef Bistro (SOMA)
The Chairman (food truck)
Coi (North Beach) **
Craftsman and Wolves (Mission)
Four Barrel Coffee
Masa's Restaurant (Nob Hill) *
Nopa
Patisserie Philippe (SOMA)
Pizzeria Delfina (Mission)
Ritual Coffee (Mission)
San Tung (Inner Sunset)
Slanted Door
Verbena (Russian Hill)

Berkeley:
Chez Panisse Cafe

Oakland:
Desco

Napa Valley:
Ad Hoc (Yountville, CA)
The French Laundry (Yountville) ***


South Bay (San Mateo/San Jose):
Falafel Drive-In (San Jose)
Wakuriya (San Mateo)

Happy New Year! (Some of) The Best of 2010

Happy New Year, everyone! I wanted to do something amazing for my first post of 2011, something ... representative. But the holidays (vacationing, laziness) got the better of me.

Here are some (not in any particular order) of the most memorable bites I had in 2010, although I'm sure I had forgotten plenty. The year was so packed and flew by so fast, I'm not even sure what happened in 2010 vs 2009 anymore!

Wagyu beef tartare, somen noodle, peanut vinaigrette, quail yolk, watermelon (Ludobites 5.0)

Lobster Moqueca from Moqueca (Oxnard)

Mussel hash from M. Wells Diner (Queens)

Marlin Taquitos from Mariscos Ruben (Tijuana)

BakeLAB's awesome cookies ... from ginger molasses to peanut butter sandwich.

My mom's durian mochi at Kogyo (Surabaya, Indonesia)

My meal at Alinea as a whole.

There were a lot more ... if only I could remember *when* they happen. I did so much this year, from eating lots of haggis in Edinburgh, to taking a trip to Santa Fe with fellow bloggers, more Tijuana, making my pilgrimage to Di Fara in Brooklyn, and eating sushi off an almost naked woman.

Cheers to an even better and more exciting year ahead for all of us!