Cafe Bunn Mi

After returning to San Francisco, CA after a 1.5 week hiatus overseas, we decided to go to Cafe Bunn Mi for a quick bite on a Sunday morning per the recommendation of our friends Scott and Carmen.  Our diet overseas had consisted of a variety of foods, many of which were fried and heavier, so we were looking for some light, comfort food.  We walked into Cafe Bunn Mi soon after they had opened (November 4, 2012) so it wasn’t a problem to place our order, get seated, and get served our meals.  The menu was written on 4 chalkboards but was extensive enough to have a good variety of foods to cover the gamut of Vietnamese sandwiches, rice plates, noodles, and pho.

A lot of things on the menu looked tasty but we knew we could only eat a couple of dishes by ourselves.  In the end we ordered:

• Grilled Pork Saigon Noodles with Imperial Rolls
• Crab Noodle Soup Pho

There was a slight mixup of our order as a Chicken Noodle Soup Pho came out from the kitchen.  We realized soon after taking a picture of it, and then sent it back.  I had meant to ask the server if they were just going to toss it if they could just leave it for us to try but I was too slow . . . I blame it on the lack of sleep from spending the night at Newark International Airport, the early flight back to SF, and the lack of coffee!  It’s too bad we didn’t get to try any of it but it did look tasty.

The good thing with pho is that it doesn’t take too long to prepare so it wasn’t long after that the correct order of Crab Noodle Soup Pho came out.  From the picture below you might think that the crab noodle soup pho is a little spicy but that’s deceiving.  The fresh tomatoes used in the dish made the soup seem spicier than it really was.  There was also an ample amount of crab in the dish which was presented as an egg-crab mixture.  The scrambled egg-crab mix had the texture of the brains of the crabs.  Some people might not like that texture but I don’t mind it one bit – I’m usually the one clamoring for the crab heads!

The Grilled Pork Saigon Noodles with Imperial Rolls were great.  The rolls, stuffed with pork, carrots, taro and clear noodles, were fried perfectly and were nice and crispy.  There was also no oily feeling to the fried rolls which was great.  The pork was well made and not too dry.  The noodle bowl consisted of vermicelli noodles with pickled carrots and daikon topped with peanuts and green onions.  Once the noodle bowl was mixed together with the pork and accompanying homemade fish sauce it was simply time to just sample the delicious flavors and enjoy our meal.

All of the dishes tasted great and the meal definitely hit the spot.  The portion sizes were generous;  some of us even had some leftovers to take home for an afternoon snack.  I definitely recommend Cafe Bunn Mi and plan on hitting it up again in the future for more pho or to try their sandwiches.

Cafe Bunn Mi
417 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-8908

Kogi BBQ – Korean BBQ To Go

Knowing that I would be headed to Los Angeles, CA, I had to set aside some time to check out Kogi BBQ (Korean BBQ-To-Go).  I had heard of the Kogi food trucks so I wanted to experience them for myself.  For those who haven’t heard of Kogi BBQ, they are a fleet of food trucks based in the LA area and I would say they are one of the pioneers of effectively using social media (Twitter and YouTube) to spread information about their locations and offerings.  Kogi BBQ has been recognized by various Foodie establishments which helps to perpetuate their following.

Looking at Kogi BBQ’s web page, I noted a couple spots where we might be able to check them out.  We ended up hitting up the Kogi Verde truck in Pasadena, CA on July 5th, 2012 around dusk.  The line wasn’t too bad since it was a little later in the evening and not prime dinner time.  We ended up ordering:

• Short Rib Tacos
• Spicy Pork Burrito
• Kogi Dog

Kogi BBQ – Short Rib Tacos

I’m going to rant for a bit because we were behind some folks that were hardcore vegetarian and hitting up the Kogi BBQ food truck.  Ok, I understand you have dietary restrictions but seriously?  Why would you hit up a food truck known for their meat items to try and order vegetarian items?  “Kogi” in Korean means “meat”.  Kogi BBQ has even blogged to clarify things for diet-restricted folks looking to try out their food.  Sure, there are veggies in kimchi but even kimchi, made with fish sauce, isn’t actually vegetarian!  I understand you want to check out the ambience and experience of Kogi BBQ but please don’t get frustrated when they only have limited vegetarian options.

Anyhow, once we did get our order we were ready to dig in.  The portion sizes were good and priced competitively based on the market so you won’t feel like you’re overpaying for what you get.  As you can see from the pictures of the tacos and Kogi dog, there was a generous amount of veggies topping the meats to help get one’s dietary fix of greens.  The veggies were refreshing and I appreciated that they weren’t soggy or led to the carbs getting soggy.

All in all, the food was good but my tastebuds weren’t blown away.  Perhaps since I had heard so much about Kogi prior to trying it I had higher expectations for the food.  Don’t get me wrong, the food had some good flavors and was a nice fusion of Asian and Latin cuisines.  My wife had mentioned that she thought the food from Kogi is overhyped and I might have to agree.  Even so, it’s great what they have done with the food and for the food truck industry as a whole, and I would still hit up Kogi again for a meal.  Next time I want to check out the Kogi Kimchi Quesadilla and the Kogi sliders.

For the most up to date information on trucks, locations, and menu options, check out their webpage as they are all over the greater Los Angeles area.

Kogi BBQ | Korean BBQ-To-Go
21 S El Molino Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101

Bel-Air Bay Club

Good friends Tania and Paul were recently married at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Santa Monica, CA.  Their wedding was fabulous and absolutely perfect for them – nice weather, gorgeous venue, delicious food, and great times.  We hadn’t done any research about the location prior to the wedding other than looking up its location.  Being a golfer, I had assumed that the Bel-Air Bay Club was a golf club but as we drove into the venue, I realized that that was not the case and had to do some quick research after the wedding to find out more about the venue.  The Bel-Air Bay Club, conceived by Alphonzo Bell and built during 1927 and 1928, is comprised of two main building facilities that sit on 14 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The Bel-Air Bay Club is, to this day, known as “the paddle tennis club,” having spawned several national champion players.  In its prime the Club was such a center of social activity during the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s that many celebrities and prominent citizens frequented Club functions.  Today, it is a popular destination for family and social gatherings as well as paddle tennis, volleyball, beach activities and Bridge.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the upper facilities of the Bel-Air Bay Club.  We got there just a few minutes before the scheduled start time on the invitation.  Thank goodness things were running a little late otherwise we would have been late since some of us still had to finish getting dressed!  Anyhow, once we were ready we headed around to the grassy lawn are for the ceremony where we got to look out towards the Pacific Ocean.  It had been a warm day in the L.A. area so it was still a little muggy but thankfully there was a mild breeze and we didn’t have to do too much moving around to cause us to sweat too much while awaiting and during the ceremony.

After the gorgeous wedding ceremony, we were all ushered back around the building to the patio area for a cocktail hour.  Fortunately we were able to snag a small table and get in line early for some drinks as there was just one bar with a lone bartender.  We were then served some delectable hors d’oeuvres.

• Duck Samosa in a golden pastry
• Lump Blue Crab Cake with mango-avocado salsa
• Bruschetta with prosciutto and romano cheese with lemon truffle vinaigrette
• Mini Truffle Cheese Sandwich with roasted tomato soup
• Lamb Lollypop with apple mint chutney
• Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with red onion confit and lemon-grain cognac cream
• Lobster BLT with applewood bacon, heirloom tomatoes and hydro watercress

All of the hors d’oeuvres had great presentation and would have received maximal Iron Chef plating scores from me.  I think the only dish that I had an issue with was the mini grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.  The little sandwich was easy to take out of the shot glass and eat, but the roasted tomato soup was pretty thick so it was difficult to get to, even with the shot glass fully inverted!

Once cocktail hour was over, we were ushered into the main dining area for the dinner and dancing part of the evening.  Good thing we didn’t gorge on the hors d’oeuvres since for dinner we still had a few dishes coming:

• Crab Martini – avocado soup, wild arugula, grapefuit, and a miso-sake dressing
• Wild Arugula Salad – roasted yellow and red beets, baby tomatoes, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette
• Miso Soy Marinated Hawaiian Onaga – parsnip purée, radish cucumber salad, pea shoots and miso soy vinaigrette
• Grilled Center Cut Beef Filet Mignon – Yukon potatoes, parsnip, huckleberries and red onion confit
• Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée  – baked Tahitian vanilla bean custard with locally grown berries and fragrant mint

Being that we were at a wedding all the dishes didn’t come all at once and were well spaced out so we had time to digest each dish.  Like the hors d’oeuvres, all dishes had great presentation.  The crab martini was the only dish which I had some issues with.  Don’t get me wrong, the dish looked really nice and there was a very generous piece of crab (Dungeoness?), but it was a little hard to eat altogether since the crab chunk was atop layers of arugula and the dressing was at the bottom of the martini glass.  We realized we had to cut apart the crab and mix everything up before being able to fully enjoy the components altogether.  Other than that, the only thing we thought could be a little better was the fish which was a little overdone.  But being that the Club had to prepare food for at least one hundred or so guests and we were probably one of the last tables to be served I just attribute it to being under the heat lamp a little longer.

I haven’t emailed the bride and groom to find out where all the desserts came from, i.e. their wedding cakes and dessert table treats, but I’m assuming the cake and dessert table items were not from the Bel-Air Bay Club.  That being said, I can’t really say that our post-meal sliders and milkshakes were made by Bel-Air Bay Club either, but we were served them there and so I’m guessing that the Club made them (even if they didn’t they are worthy of a mention but so were the other sweet treats):

• Mini Kobe Beef Slider – sriracha aioli, caramelized onions and soft slider bun
• Milkshake Shot – vanilla, strawberry or chocolate varieties rimmed with crystal sugar and strawberries

After a filling dinner, some dancing, the cake cutting, and some mass pandemonium trying to get some sweet treats from the dessert table spread, the sliders and milkshake did hit the spot, especially for folks like me that missed out on some of the goodies from the dessert table!

Overall, we were impressed with all the hor d’oeuvres and meal selections, and all the yummy desserts at the Bel-Air Bay Club.  As you can tell, we really had to nitpick to find issues with the food that was served.  All the food provided by the Bel-Air Bay Club looked really yummy and was delicious, and definitely helped to make Tania and Paul’s wedding a great one.

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Bel-Air Bay Club
16801 Pacific Coast Hwy
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 230-4700

Short Order

After checking out the Tasting Table July feature on what burgers to try now, I saw a blurb on Short Order located in Los Angeles, CA.  Being that it was grilling season and my wife and I being in the L.A. area for a few days around the fourth of July holiday, the Tasting Table feature was extremely timely and provided us with a great place to go for a meal.  We ended up going to Short Order on July 4th, 2012 for a late lunch.

The restaurant is part of the Original Farmer’s Market block and has a prime spot right at the corner of West 3rd Street and South Fairfax Ave.  For those that haven’t been to the farmer’s market it is a neat spot to check out filled with all sorts of vendors.  Short Order isn’t the youngest kid on the block.  Some research on the establishment shows that it debuted a few years ago.

Perhaps it was due to the late lunch time, but everything on the menu looked really good as we pondered what to order.  It was likely a combination of both the late lunch and yummy selections as after our meal I definitely would like to head back and check out other menu items so I’d attribute it to more of the menu items being yummy.  For our lunch we ordered:

• Ida’s Old School Burger
• Lamb Burger
• Short Order Spuds, with sour cream dipping sauce with North Country bacon
• “Independence” milkshake

The Independence milkshake was a special item to celebrate the 4th of July.  As an ode to the nation’s birthday, it was also decked out with red, white and blue, made up of strawberries and blueberries, topped with a generous serving of graham cracker crumble.  It came out before our food was ready and boy oh boy was it a tasty treat before our meal!  Who says  you can’t have some dessert first?

The rest of our meal came out shortly after the milkshake left us salivating and anxiously awaiting our food.  Ida’s Old School Burger is comprised of grass-fed beef, Hook’s aged cheddar, SQIRL handmade pickles, rossa bruno tomatoes, griddled onions, iceberg lettuce and Short Order’s secret sauce.  I ordered it medium-rare and I got what I ordered.  The perfectly cooked burger was nice and juicy; each mouthful was perfect with its accompaniments and secret sauce.  The lamb burger – Sonoma grass-fed lamb with feta, wild arugula and salsa verde – was ordered to be a medium doneness.  Alas it came out a little past medium.  Even though it was slightly overdone the burger still retained enough juiciness and was still delicious.  Some people aren’t big fans of lamb, my wife being one of them, but even she could appreciate the lamb burger which did not taste too “lamb-y”.   The Short Order Spuds, small bite sized pieces of delicately fried potatoes with the skin on, were good but I think we happened to get some of the dregs and a few that were a little more well done.  Hopefully the following short photo slideshow of our Short Order experience doesn’t make your mouth water too much . . . I know mine is each time I watch it!

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Overall, the food was great and I can definitely see myself returning if I’m in Los Angeles again.  I’d love to try out more of their menu, including their adult milkshakes 🙂  With their fireplace and heat lamps setup, I can imagine Short Order getting extremely busy at night too.

Short Order
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 761-7970

Further reading:

Tasting Table Los Angeles article on Short Order’s debut

Orenchi Ramen

Some friends have gushed about Orenchi Ramen.  One has even said “I constantly dream about going to Orenchi for their ramen”.  Thus, my wife and I had to go Orenchi Ramen to try it out for ourselves . . .

Since we don’t mosey down to the South Bay that often we took the opportunity to meet up with our friend Karen at her workplace and get a quick cursory tour of the Apple main campus before heading to Orenchi on June 13th, 2012.  Knowing Orenchi can get extremely busy, we wanted to make sure we got there shortly after they opened for dinner service.  We ended up getting there within the first 30 minutes since they had opened for dinner.  Once at Orenchi, we put our names on the list and then waited for our friend Ed before we could get seated.  As a slight aside, having heard all this talk about how great Orenchi is I don’t know that anything was said to us about its storefront.  Some of the best restaurants have nondescript storefronts and I think Orenchi’s storefront, and even its location in an empty looking strip mall, falls into this category . . .

Orenchi is one of those establishments that does not seat parties until all members of a party are present.  This practice is for efficiency purposes to get people in and out quickly.  With limited seating, people taking up seats while waiting for others prevents patron turnover i.e. chowing down and then heading out.  Thus, although sometimes a pain for diners, it is actually quite beneficial.  Knowing this type of system is in place is key though – not only could a larger dining party send a person to put the party’s name on the list so others in the party don’t have to wait as long, but if going with a group of people hopefully everybody gets there around the same time otherwise you might be stuck waiting for others!  Fortunately Ed arrived shortly after we did otherwise we were contemplating dropping our party size by one so we could start eating!

Orenchi does serve a few different things but since we were Orenchi virgins, we decided to go with their signature dish, the Orenchi Ramen, supplemented with a few appetizers.  Our appetizers were the fried chicken dish, and fried calamari dish.

I love my fried chicken so I am picky when it comes to what I consider good fried chicken and I must say the fried chicken was delicious!  The batter that Orenchi uses gives it a very light texture which you can definitely differentiate from the usual heavier batters that are used at many fried chicken establishments e.g. Bojangles, Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The unique aspect of their batter, plus the chicken being perfectly done on the inside so the meat was still juicy and tender, gets my thumbs up recommendation.

The fried calamari was also a tasty treat to get our appetites going.  Visually, one could tell the calamari was just lightly battered and then fried, which stays within the lines of Japanese cooking (much like the fried chicken), but I was not as impressed with the fried calamari dish.  The calamari was nicely done though and at other places this fried calamari dish may have garnered higher praise but it could not compare with the fried chicken.

We didn’t have to wait long before our ramen bowls came out.

The pork broth itself was flavorful yet light.  The broth was quite mild;  I ended up seasoning my ramen with a little chili spice as can be seen in the picture above.  The noodles used for the ramen were not the thick floury udon noodles but thinner egg noodles which readily absorbed the pork broth to provide additional flavor.  If I were to change anything about my dish, I would say the meat:noodle proportion could be improved.

Another notable aspect was the the egg in the ramen.  Sure, it might look like just another boiled egg but the looks are deceiving and you have to bite into it before you can get the egg-perience.  Cutting/biting into the egg releases some yolk similar to a poached egg but yet the egg white remains firm – the experience is a soft-boiled (or medium-boiled) egg, as opposed to a hard-boiled egg where both egg white and egg yolk are firm.  Orenchi definitely has their timing down and the egg just adds more to the dish.  This Serious Eats Food Lab post has a great write-up on boiled eggs while another Serious Eats post has good info for those ramen-loving DIY-ers.

Comparisons between Orenchi Ramen and Ramen Dojo are inevitable.  Both places have delicious ramen and each is unique in its own right.  Overall, Orenchi’s ramen bowl was lighter than Ramen Dojo’s ramen which tasted much richer.  If you like eggier noodles, Orenchi is the place to be.  Orenchi’s meat portions are much skimpier though compared to Ramen Dojo, and that’s even with asking for extra meat.  The eggs used are a little different but the soft-boiled eggs of Orenchi are fantastic.  Of course, these observations and opinions are based on n=1 at each place so I will be heading back to these places to see if my opinions are replicated.  Feel free to check out these places yourself and give me your opinion!

Orenchi Ramen
3540 Homestead Rd
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 246-2955

Reposado

After a soccer game in Palo Alto, CA on Sunday morning (June 17th, 2012), my wife, our friend Meg and I were looking to grab a quick bite to eat in the area before headed back to the East Bay.  Meg had grown up in the Palo Alto area and had thrown out some suggestions on some of her favorite places but doing a quick search on their business hours showed that all those places were closed on Sundays.  By then we had narrowed our choices to Mexican cuisine so we headed towards downtown Palo Alto from the soccer fields while doing a Yelp search on our phones for a place to eat.  Within a minute or two we heard Meg exclaim “Ah ha, I got it.  Let’s try Reposado.”

As we continued toward Reposado, Meg described it as a more upscale sit down type place and told us she had wanted to try it for a while now, and shared that it had gotten decent Yelp reviews.  Connie and I are not picky eaters and are always up for trying new places, preferably with delicious food, so we were looking forward to our upcoming dining experience especially since we had not gone out to eat in a while (hence the lack of new content for this blog!).

Once at Reposado we decided to sit at the bar and then contemplated the menu.  Should we pick from the brunch menu, small plates or traditional style plates?  Having just played soccer we were thinking a smaller portion size but we were still debating between the small plates vs traditional style plates.  Fortunately, the bartender clarified that the small plates still had a decent amount of food on them.  We ended up ordering a cerveza, a margarita (customized), some chips and guacamole and:

• Tacos De La Calle – Four “street” tacos, pollo & salsa verde, carnitas, pescado & mango salsa fresca, asada & guajillo salsa
• Ceviche de Hauchinango – Pacific Snapper in agua chile cucumber sauce, jicama, mango, and red onion

Being seated at the bar we had the advantage of being able to see the TV screens that were nestled in the bar shelves.  They had one of the Euro 2012 soccer matches on (Netherlands vs Portugal) which was a bonus for soccer fans like us.  Perhaps it was the distraction of the match but it didn’t seem too long after we had ordered that our food came out – a pleasant surprise since we had ventured into Reposado right at lunchtime.  Furthermore, there did not seem to be any sort of detrimental influence of a crowded venue on our dishes, yet another plus.

First, the lowdown on the tacos.  All the meats on the small tacos were cooked well – not underdone or overdone.  I should clarify that by small, I mean each taco could be finished in two bites.  All of the tacos packed a lot of flavor.  Nothing too overpowering but enough to give the taste buds a nice tingle.  For those that cannot do spicy foods some of the tacos did have a little bit of a kick, easily discernable visually.

The ceviche dish was presented nicely.  A generous mound of ceviche topped with mango, red onions, and jicama on its own small dish set on one side of a long rectangular plate filled with tortilla chips.  The ceviche smelled a lot fishier than it actually tasted.  The pieces of snapper were a good texture and they were not totally overpowered by the limes or chile cucumber sauce which I thought was quite mild . . . was there really cucumber in there?  Thinking about the overall dish, I think I’d make a recommendation to provide some more chips.  Even with generous helpings of ceviche on my chips, I ran out of chips before I finished my ceviche.

Looking over at the diners next to us, their huevo (egg) dishes looked really good.  I do like brunch foods but I might still pass on the huevo dishes.  If I do come for brunch I’m going to order the Chipotle Beef Benedict – grilled chipotle seasoned filet mignon, toasted English muffin, roasted poblano hollandaise sauce, home fried potatoes – which is also part of the brunch menu.

Overall, I’d give Reposado a thumbs up for our dining experience.  The yummy meal was enough to fill our stomachs to tide us over but I’d say a little pricier (tacos @ $15, ceviche @ $13).  I guess we were in a nice establishment with good ambience in downtown Palo Alto, CA – I’m sure Reposado is a popular place at nights.  Side note to self – maybe I should stop hitting up my local taco truck for $1.25 tacos.

Reposado
236 Hamilton Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 833-3151

Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice Café Steamers

The show Top Chef on BravoTV is one of my favorite television shows.  Recently, I have seen numerous ads on TV for the Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice cafe steamers and was curious as to how they were.  I’ve had Healthy Choice café steamers before and they were good . . . would the Top Chef inspiration and influence make them that much better?  Costco had a coupon in their February mailer for these frozen dinner entrees so it made it even more tempting to get some and try them out.

Microwaving the Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice cafe steamer entree

To give a little background on the Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice options, Healthy Choice has been a sponsor of Top Chef and in between television seasons Healthy Choice and BravoTV hosted a competition between four former Top Chef contestants and fan favorites:

• Casey Thompson
• Sara Nguyen
• Ryan Scott
• Tre Wilcox

The winner of the Top Chef styled competition would get to help Healthy Choice launch the new Top Chef inspired line of café steamers.  In the end, the winner was Ryan Scott who edged out Casey Thompson.

The steamer tray right out of the microwave and the plastic cover removed - all ingredients looking hot and delicious

I’m not sure of the specific market segmentation details for frozen foods / TV dinners but I am sure I probably fall into one of their consumer segments.  In my grocery runs, I tend to get more fresh fruits, vegetables and meat to make my own food.  However, I will mosey into the frozen foods section occasionally to peruse what’s new and/or on sale and stock up on a few things for those occasions that I’m too lazy, lacking ingredients, or lacking the time to make a proper meal.

To prepare the Healthy Choice entree, you remove the tray from the box, pop it in the microwave, and heat the tray (this is all done with the plastic covering still left on).  Once the microwaving is done, the steamed ingredients are placed into the accompanying sauce in the larger outer tray while the inner steaming tray itself is discarded.  The ingredients and sauce are mixed together and the final mixed product is then ready for consumption.

The steaming tray is removed and steamed items are then placed into the accompanying sauce in the bottom tray

Similar to other frozen dinner entrees, I found that the portion sizes are pretty small compared to what you might get in a restaurant.  But, that may be a reflection of how large portion sizes at restaurants in the United States have become, or how voracious my appetite!  Realistically, it is probably the way that frozen dinners limit the caloric intake.  Don’t get me wrong though, the café steamer portion size wasn’t skimpy but I could probably eat two steamers in one sitting pretty easily.

The Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice café steamer final product after mixing the steamed ingredients in the accompanying sauce

So, how do the Top Chef inspired Café Steamers compare to the other Café Steamers in Healthy Choice’s lineup? Well, I did think the ingredients used were of very good quality.  Being that the preparation method was steaming in the microwave , the ingredients looked very appetizing once microwaved retaining their bright fresh colors.  The steamed broccoli also retained a little crispy texture as opposed to having that soggy texture that can easily occur with vegetables prepared from other frozen entrees.  The color of the final mixed together product seemed a little more yellow than I would have thought it would be (I expected more of a reddish tint since it was marinara sauce), but the taste was really good and I did enjoy my entree.  I don’t know that I would say right off the bat that the Top Chef inspired steamer was necessarily much much tastier than a regular Healthy Choice steamer but I do think it was a bit better and definitely one of the better TV dinners that I have had.  I’ll admit though that I wasn’t completely scientific in my testing since I didn’t have a regular steamer in the same sitting as the Top Chef inspired one.  I guess I have a few more replicates to go in order to get an adequate sample size, not to mention some other flavors to try :).

Overall, I enjoyed the Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice café steamer and if I’m at the grocery store again and looking for some dinner entrees in the frozen foods section, I’ll be sure to look at the Healthy Choice options again.  Without a coupon discount, I might think twice compared to some other options, but if I’m not penny-pinching and deciding based on quality, taste, and presentation, then the Top Chef inspired Healthy Choice options it is.

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FYI, I have not been hired to promote the Healthy Choice Café Steamer meals so l am not writing this entry or advertising on their behalf.  As with all of my posts, I’m just sharing my thoughts and opinions.  Cheers!

Noodle Theory

Looking for a quick bite for dinner in Rockridge, CA on Sunday night (February 26, 2012), a group of us decided to go to Noodle Theory.  Everybody in the group had been there before so we knew we would be having some yummy noodles on a brisk night.  Much like many other restaurants in the area, seating is limited due to the small size of the restaurant.  Thus, rather than wait for a large enough table spot to open up, the five of us opted to take the bar/ledge spots.

While we considered the menu options, we got to munch on edamame topped with sesame seeds and sauce.  After some discussion, my wife (Connie) and I selected the Grilled Niman Ranch Spicy Loin of Pork Ramen and the Grilled Niman Ranch Beef Udon respectively.  Connie had recently undergone a tonsillectomy so her diet was still very limited to softer foods that were not very spicy.  Connie’s spicy pork loin selection, served in a peanut lime cilantro broth, wasn’t exactly aligned with her prescribed diet but she was attempting to diversify her diet from the apple sauce, juice boxes, and bland soft foods that I had made over the last few days.  In case her dish was too spicy, I chose the beef udon dish as a backup although I had a feeling that it may also be a little too spicy too since the beef udon was served in a coconut lime curry broth.  There were other choices on the menu that probably would have been better aligned for Connie’s diet as a backup for her but the coconut curry was calling out to me.

Noodle Theory's edamame appetizer

Our dishes came out after a short wait and were as delicious as we expected.  The broths all packed a lot of flavor.  The meats were tender and the noodles in both dishes were nicely made and soft enough so Connie could eat them.  However, our suspicions on the spiciness were confirmed as both dishes were just a touch too spicy for Connie’s recovering palate.  On any other day, Connie would not have had any issues with the spices in the dishes and would have easily polished off her portion but instead I got to be the lucky recipient of the spicy pork, peanuts, and eventually her leftovers :).

Noodle Theory's grilled Niman Ranch beef udon in coconut lime curry broth (with some additional pieces of grilled Niman Ranch spicy pork loin and peanuts)

On a previous trip to Noodle Theory, I had tried the Slow Roasted Niman Ranch Pork Belly Ramen served in a savory pork miso broth.  Comparisons between dishes are always a little like comparing apples and oranges since the ingredients are different.  Hence rather than compare, I’ll provide my preference list for the 3 dishes that I’ve tried at Noodle Theory, which would be:

1. Slow Roasted Niman Ranch Pork Belly Ramen
2. Grilled Niman Ranch Spicy Loin of Pork Ramen
3. Grilled Niman Ranch Beef Udon

Looking at my list and attempting to rationalize my choices, I think the reasons for my ranking preference are due to the meats and noodles in the dishes.  The pork belly is just so soft and melts in your mouth, whereas the loin and beef require more chewing effort.  Similarly, ramen is softer and easier to work with than the larger udon noodles.  For me, I guess I would typically consider the protein the more differentiating factor so formulaically, protein > noodles.  I don’t necessarily have a preference for the actual meat type (pork vs beef) but I think the cut can make quite a difference (eg belly vs loin).  Also, the weighting gets fuzzy if I’m not feeling a big preference for one type of meat vs one type of noodles vs one type of broth.

Next time you’re in Rockridge and feeling like some noodles, check out Noodle Theory.  All of the dishes pack a lot of flavor so you really cannot go wrong – it just really depends on what you’re feeling!

Noodle Theory
6099 Claremont Ave
Oakland, CA 94620
(510) 595-6988

Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant

My wife Connie was doing well in her recovery from tonsillectomy surgery a few days prior.  However, she was getting a little tired of the apple sauce, juice boxes, and bland soft foods that I had made over the last few days.  So, we decided that we were going to eat out for lunch on Sunday February 26, 2012.  Initially, we were considering doing Chinese food close by but the restaurant flyer for the Chinese place we were thinking about showed that it actually wasn’t open for lunch on Sundays.  So, scratch that idea.  We ended up deciding to go with Vietnamese instead since the options would be good for Connie (i.e., palatable soft noodles, flavorful broth that shouldn’t be too spicy) and it should be relatively inexpensive.  The closest place, Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant, happened to be just around the corner – bonus!

We got to Mint Leaf around noon.  The restaurant was about half full so we were able to get seated right away.  After perusing the menu options, we decided to go with:

• Special PHO “PHO Dac Biet” (menu item #21) – rice noodles with rare sliced beef flank and beef brisket
• Hot and Sour Noodle Soup “Canh Chua Bun” (menu item #29) – rice noodles with catfish, prawns, tomatoes, pineapples, jalapeno peppers and sprouts in a savory broth.

Hot and Sour Noodle Soup "Canh Chua Bun" (menu item #29)

To be honest, initially I had actually selected Spicy and Sour Soup “Canh Chua” (menu item #20) but our server pointed out that the #20 was just the broth and didn’t actually have any noodles.  So, I opted for #29 which was the same as #20 but with rice noodles.  Not surprisingly, the food came out soon after we ordered and was as delicious as it looked.  Everything tasted fresh and the broths were  flavorful.  Nothing tasted too bland, or too salty, and additional sauces were provided on the side in case one wanted to add some more kick to one’s dish.  Connie was able to put down the soft rice noodles easily and I could tell she was glad to finally get some real food, not to mention have a real meal with me instead of watching me eat all the good stuff.

Overall, lunch at Mint Leaf was a great choice.  If I’m ever in Alameda again and feeling like some pho, I will be sure to hit up Mint Leaf again.  I may even hit up their newly opened Berkeley store in the future.

Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant
831 Marina Village Pkwy
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 522-2758

Swan Oyster Depot

Although I lived just one block away in San Francisco, CA, I had absolutely no clue about the famous gem in my neighborhood – Swan Oyster Depot – until I had moved away.  After I realized I had missed out on my opportunity to just walk around the block to grab a bite at a San Francisco classic I made a vow that I would make an effort to eat there some time when I was back in SF.  An opportunity presented itself when my wife Connie was scheduled to have tonsillectomy surgery at the nearby hospital (had she been able to go with me to eat there it would have been the perfect opportunity!).

Menu options

While headed to the hospital on a Thursday (February 23, 2012), Connie and I drove by Swan Oyster Depot around 12:30pm and saw the crazy long lunch line to get in.  I didn’t have enough time to whip out my camera to photo-document, but the line was easily 30-40 people long!  Do those people work and how long do those people have for lunch?!  Thank goodness I was not going to attempt to eat there at that time but later in the afternoon with a friend of ours while Connie was in surgery.

The Swan story

Swan Oyster Depot is a tiny place.  The setup is basically a deep room with a counter that runs down the middle of the room until you reach the wall that separates the dining area from the kitchen.  One side of the counter is for the workers, and the other side is set up with stools for the patrons.  I didn’t do an actual count of the number of stools but I’d estimate that there are only 20 spots or so, and the spots are snug.  You’ll definitely bump elbows with your fellow diners.

Horseradish . . check

Rayna and I got to Swan’s around 4pm and although it was not prime dining time there was still a line to get in.  While waiting in line we salivated at the different menu items available as we watched food being prepared, served, and eaten.  Thankfully, the line was short and we just had to wait for four people in front of us before we got seated.

We decided we had to try a couple of dishes:

• mixed dozen oysters
• seafood combination salad
• smoked salmon (with smoked trout)
• sea urchin

Once we had put in our order we got our drinks and some fresh sourdough bread to tide us over until we got our food.  The first dish that came out was the mixed dozen oysters which was made up of Blue Point, Miyagi and Kumamoto oysters that day.  There were four of each kind so for two people it worked out pretty well.  For any fan of oysters one could have easily polished off the mixed dozen by oneself but since we did have a number of other dishes still to come the six oysters apiece worked out perfectly. Mmmmm, so delicious . . . .

The mixed dozen oyster plate made up of Blue Point, Miyagi, and Kumamoto oysters

After slurping down the oysters to open up our appetites we were ready for our main entree selections.  I had ordered the seafood salad combination plate which was just an absolute feast.  Why peel and crack your seafood if you can just go to Swan’s.  The dish comprised of large succulent pieces of prawns, crab, lobster, and shrimp on a bed of chopped lettuce.  The portion size was huge but I’m definitely not complaining!

Seafood salad combination - large succulent pieces of shrimp, prawn, crab, and lobster on a bed of chopped lettuce

The smoked salmon dish is typically pieces of smoked salmon served with french bread and a side of shrimp salad, but for a little extra, Rayna had pieces of smoked trout added to the dish in order to try both types of smoked fish.  “It’s all in the technique . . . and the freshness of the fish of course” one worker kept telling us as the diner next to us gushed about how incredible the smoked fish tasted.  The smoked fish did not disappoint . . . the smokiness in the fish was indeed amazing!

An order of the smoked salmon dish with smoked trout added

We decided to finish up with some sea urchin.  It’s been a while since I’ve had fresh sea urchin out of the shell.  I still recall my first experience many years ago in the Caribbean when we picked up some white sea urchins off the sea bed, cracked them open, and enjoyed the rich, creamy, yellow roe – mana from the sea.  But I digress.  Swan Oyster Depot served black sea urchin (Stronglycentrotus franciscanus) presenting the “roe” on the half shell.  Sea urchin is a delicacy, but it can be an acquired taste of sorts as it can have a unique texture which some people may not like.  When sea urchin is served in little portions you might not be able to taste the texture, just the rich flavor e.g. when it is in sushi.  I’m not sure if it’s because it was black sea urchin or if it was due to actual whole pieces of raw sea urchin as it was served at Swan Oyster Depot, but it seemed like the texture of the sea urchin tasted a little different from what I had had before.  It was definitely still very fresh but the texture seemed a little firmer and more “filtery”?  Essentially, the “roe” or yellow meat is the sea urchin’s reproductive system so the roe isn’t necessarily just eggs as one may think.  I surmise that the unique texture may be related to the accompanying gonadal tissues.  Whatever the case, the sea urchin still tasted great.

It's not every day that you get to have fresh sea urchin

All of the ingredients were incredibly fresh and tasted absolutely delicious.  No wonder Swan Oyster Depot has been around San Francisco for a century and still consistently gets top marks from everybody, not just foodies and food review agencies!  For those fans of Anthony Bourdain it probably is no surprise that Swan Oyster Depot was featured recently on his new show “The Layover” when they showcased San Francisco as he openly admits to always being at Swan’s whenever filming in SF.  Swan Oyster Depot is most definitely a San Francisco institution and a trip to San Francisco should include this stop.  My tip for potential SF visitors – skip the stalls and restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf and go to Swan’s Oyster Depot instead!  You may not be right by the ocean but you wouldn’t be able to tell by how amazing the food is.

Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101