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.
Bel-Air Bay Club
16801 Pacific Coast Hwy
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 230-4700
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
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:
- Slow Roasted Niman Ranch Pork Belly Ramen
- Grilled Niman Ranch Spicy Loin of Pork Ramen
- 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
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
Flying the friendly (United Airlines business) skies
My wife Connie was going to undergo a tonsillectomy surgery so I had to make a cross-country trip to be with her for surgery and her recuperation afterwards. Being a loyal frequent flier of United Airlines (UA) in the past few years, I’ve been able to gather enough miles in their MileagePlus frequent flier program to have Premier Executive status. One of the perks of being an elite member of their MP program is the unlimited complimentary upgrades – meaning elite members are automatically put onto the waiting list for seats in the next higher class of service for any UA flights that the member is traveling on. If seats are available in the higher class, they’ll be assigned to the elite members based on UA’s formula (members’ status level, mileage earned, etc).
I don’t typically fly business class though I have been fortunate to get a few upgrades once in a while. Typically, as I’m flying hub-to-hub, specifically Washington Dulles to San Francisco International or vice versa, there are (a) few business class seats left open, and (b) so many high level elites that a lowly PE member like myself would never get the complimentary upgrade. Perhaps it was because I was going IAD-LAX-SFO on a Wednesday (February 22, 2012), but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually got the complimentary upgrade to business class for my cross-country flight! This was also after I had been trying to use the automated kiosk to print my boarding pass and it kept not letting me do so and insisting that I had to talk to an agent to complete my check-in process.
After having my upgrade confirmed and receiving my boarding pass, I was looking forward to my flight as I knew I would be having a served dinner instead of being offered meals for purchase. Plus, I was looking forward to seeing the changes of United Airlines’ recently revised in-flight menu and premium cabin service. Airline food hasn’t garnered rave 3 star Michelin reviews but there have been efforts by multiple airlines to make their food better. United did so recently by getting assistance from internationally acclaimed Chef Curtis Stone.
Warmed peanuts
The in-flight service began shortly after takeoff with a hot towel and warmed nuts in a ramekin. The nuts were a good snack. I also appreciated the mix of nuts which included almonds, cashews, and peanuts. I don’t usually have peanuts as a snack at my place, and when I have had them I’ve never taken the time to warm them. However, after having the warmed peanuts on my flight, I might just have to make an effort to have warmed nuts next time.
The main dinner service was served on a tray that had a salad, appetizer and main entree on it. Maybe it’s because I have realistic lower expectations for meals on airplanes, or just lower expectations in general (which I’d like to think not), but all of the dishes actually looked good. Thinking about the serving style some more though, I think what makes the whole meal experience on airplanes seem less appetizing, apart from the fact that you’re eating in a cramped space on a plane, is that the entire meal is being served on a tray. Meals on trays just make you think of food in cafeterias, school lunches, or prison meals, even if you do provide real silverware in a clean white napkin, and have a linen on the tray. Perhaps if the food dishes were served one at a time that would actually make it seem like airplane food was better. It’s not like you’re pressed for time on cross-country flights (P.S. United, maybe you can learn from Air New Zealand who does this even in their premium economy class).
United Airlines business class dinner spread
Regarding the food that was served for dinner, the appetizer was a smoked salmon dish served with capers and a lemon slice. The smoked salmon wasn’t the best smoked salmon that I had ever had, but it wasn’t the other extreme either. It also did not taste just like a piece of smoked salmon from a store bought package. The salad consisted of pieces of romaine lettuce with diced tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. It was served with a prepackaged sesame ginger dressing on the side that was nice, light and refreshing together with the salad. My main entree was a chicken dish that was definitely Italian influenced. The chicken was seasoned with Italian seasonings, and served with gnocchi, pasta sauce, carrots and long beans. The generous chicken piece wasn’t overcooked, as can be easily done, so all parts were nice and moist. The gnocchi had a good texture – firm but still soft in the mouth – though a little floury tasting.
Smoked salmon appetizer
Chicken entree
Once the main tray had been taken away, the flight attendants came down the aisles with our dessert – carts of ice cream sundaes with our choice of size toppings. I chose to have my ice cream sundae topped with chocolate syrup and strawberries.
Ice cream sundae with chocolate and strawberry toppings
Overall, my dinner experience in United Airlines’ business class was good. All of the food was presented in a nice manner, tasted good and seemed fresh. I only wish they could have brought out the dishes one at a time rather than serving all on a tray. My last business class experience with United Airlines had been about six months ago on an international leg from Taiwan to Japan. I cannot remember what I had exactly or how things were served but based on my recollection the international experience was still better than this domestic meal which was definitely pretty good. I must say, airline food has come a long way since back in the day, and food up in United Airlines’ business class isn’t just reheated frozen dinners. Maybe one day I’ll be able to experience first class cabin service as I’m sure it’s even better.
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As an aside, when I first decided to blog about my food experiences the broad categories that came to mind were my test kitchen and my eating out experiences, the latter of which I decided to collectively group as “Restaurants”. However, it seems like I may have to come up with either a better term for encompassing my eating out experiences instead of “Restaurants” e.g. “Out and about”, or add some additional segregation to allow for better classification of experiences like this! Any ideas?
SoGo’s Restaurant
A true excursion to a new place really cannot be considered complete unless there is at least one local meal. Thus, I was still determined to get some more local fare while in Cruz Bay, St John, US Virgin Islands. Earlier in the afternoon my wife and I had eaten at Uncle Joe’s World Famous BBQ but that to us was just a snack. Post-Uncle Joe’s we had did a quick walking tour of Cruz Bay but we were still hungry and decided to get dinner in Cruz Bay before heading back to St Thomas on the ferry. Looking at the restaurant options we knew we wanted local fare so our selections were limited. We ended up deciding on SoGo’s Restaurant in part due to their opening hours but also because it seemed home-ier.
Standing by Sogo's Restaurant sign and menu
We got to SoGo’s shortly after they had opened for dinner. It was almost 5:00pm the Tuesday after Christmas had been observed (December 27, 2012) so not surprisingly the place was empty when we got there. One thing my mom always told me was to be wary of places which seemed too empty as that could be a sign that the food may not be as fresh. However, my wife and I were unfazed and quickly made our selections for dinner – steam conch with onion butter sauce and the stew curry goat. All entrees were served with veggies (zucchini and carrots), plantain, rice and beans, mashed potato, and fungi. Although the term “fungi” may have one thinking of mushrooms and other fungus, in the Virgin Islands (and the Caribbean in general), fungi (pronounce “foon-gee”) refers to a food that is comprised of cornmeal mixed with okra – nothing whatsoever to do with any sort of fungus! As the pictures below show, the portions of steam conch and stew goat were generous and complemented by good-sized portions of the supplemental vegetables, rice, mashed potatoes and fungi. I only wish we could have another piece or two of plantain since they were so yummy . . .
Steam conch with onion butter sauce
Stew curry goat
For those who haven’t had steam conch before, I would highly recommend having some if you ever get the chance. SoGo’s made the conch absolutely perfectly so it was still soft, and yet just firm enough without seeming too crunchy. Perhaps it’s personal preference but I don’t think conch should be so well done that it becomes similar to calimari. Similarly, the stew curry goat was also very well made such that the meat would easily slide off the bones. And yes, some of the chunks of goat meat still had the bones in it. This is the normal serving style in the islands so it was not unexpected for me. I’m just making note of it for those that haven’t had such dishes before so folks won’t be surprised when they come across it. I once took a buddy of mine to a Caribbean restaurant and he was shocked when he came across meat pieces with the bones still intact. All of the accompanying sides were great and I appreciated the presentation of the mashed potatoes and fungi in little ice cream like balls. The rice and beans in particular were some of the best that I had had while in the VI.
My wife and I had a lovely leisurely early dinner. All of the food tasted great and had lots of flavor. There was also no doubt that the ingredients were fresh. Next time I’m in St John, I’ll be looking forward to yet another meal at SoGo’s Restaurant.
SoGo's Restaurant outside dining area
SoGo’s Restaurant
King Street
Route 105
St John, VI 00830
340-779-4404
SoGo's Restaurant menu
Bandolero Pop-up Restaurant Preview
LivingSocial voucher
After purchasing two tickets for the LivingSocial deal, I followed the instructions that I received and made dinner reservations for 7:15pm on Saturday February 18th for the pop-up preview of Bandolero Restaurant. Basically, LivingSocial, a Washington DC-headquartered online coupon company, was hosting Chef Mike Isabella’s preview of his upcoming restaurant venture in Georgetown to help kick off LivingSocial’s newly leased building in Penn Quarter where LivingSocial will host pop-ups, cooking classes, and all sorts of other activities in their new space.
I guess I don’t typically get to the Penn Quarter area at prime dinner time as I have never had any problems finding street parking in the area but this time we circled around the area a few times and could not find any street parking. So, as we were running out of time and wanted to make our reservation time on time, we bit the $16 parking tab and decided to park within two blocks at the E Street Cinema parking garage.
We walked into the LivingSocial building space (918 F St NW, Washington, DC) right at 7:15pm, had our IDs checked, and checked in at the lobby downstairs. We then headed up to the 2nd floor reception area where we each got a glass of champagne. Our table was already ready so we had only just sat down on the couches in the living area when our name was called to follow somebody up to the restaurant area on the 4th floor where we were promptly seated.
Michelada
Once seated at our table, before we had had a chance to get halfway through our glass of champagne, the accompanying first course drinks were served. The drink was the Michelada – milagro blanco, tomato lime, mole bitters, corona – essentially a tequila version of a Bloody Mary. The drink definitely served as a good appetizing drink. The first course came out shortly thereafter – warm chips and chicharrones served with:
- Guacamole – classic
- Sikil Pak – pumpkin seeds, jalapeno orange
- Salsa Roja – guajillo, tomato, garlic
The chips and dips were all very good but the chicharrones were definitely the highlight of this course. Light and crispy deep fried goodness just tastes so good!
Mmmmm . . . chicharrones
For our second course we went with:
- Albondigas – spicy pork meatballs, sofrito
- Sopes – lamb picadillo, chipotle goat cheese
This course was paired with a Margarita – milagro blanco, patron citronage, agave, grand marnier, lime, blood orange. I was tempted to select the blue crab taquito, but based on our server’s recommendation and the fact that I have Kiwi roots, I went with the lamb dish. For those who aren’t big lamb fans, the lamb was well made and did not taste very lamby. The sopes were delightful little pockets of flavor with the lamb topped with chipotle goat cheese and a little pepper slice. The spicy pork meatballs were also very good. Four of them came in a little bowl topped with some chopped veggies. The meatballs had good flavor but for my palate they could have had just a little more spice to them. In my opinion, the sopes edged out the albondigas.
Sopes – lamb picadillo, chipotle goat cheese
The third course was a selection betwen various tacos. We went with:
- Mahi Mahi – served with chipotle, avocado and lime
- Spicy Chicken – served with avocado, relish
At first we were a little surprised when the mahi mahi was presented – were we being served fried fish sticks?! However, after biting into the taco, it was apparent that we were having a delicious version of the classic “fish taco”. The mahi mahi was cooked perfectly with a lightly fried batter and flaky innards. My wife commented that perhaps the mahi mahi dish could have been better with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. I thought the flour tortillas were actually just right since the corn tortillas may have overpowered the mahi mahi. The spicy chicken dish, served on corn tortillas, was also very good. The shredded chicken had a great flavor profile in itself and went wonderfully with the topped lettuce, avocado relish, and little bits of cheese. I would say this round was a tie between both dishes. This course was paired with City of Gold – milagro reposado, cardmaro, St Germain, lemon.
Spicy chicken taco with avocado and relish
For our fourth course we selected the:
- Alahambres – hangar steak, chimichurri
- Mole Negro – pork ribs, sesame seeds
In comparing which dish was better in this round, the pork ribs definitely won. The tender meat slid off the bone with ease and tasted absolutely delicious with the sesame seeds and sauce. The hangar steak portions were extremely generous but perhaps this was the downfall of the dish. The hangar steak was served in a manner that almost made it look like three pieces of sushi/tuna sashimi on the plate with Chef Mike’s famous pizza sauce drizzled around it. The hangar steak was well cooked – I’d estimate they made it to be medium rare as it had a good dark sear on the outside with a reddish center. However, it just seemed the meat cubes were just a tad too large so it did take a little bit of chewing effort to polish off each piece of meat, even when cut into smaller manageable pieces.
Mole Negro - pork ribs, sesame seeds
The accompanying drink for the fourth course, Malverde, was comprised of sombra mezcal, cucumber, cilantro, agave, hellfire bitters. The drink definitely tasted cucumber-ry. Not being people that typically have such drinks, the drinks just tasted different. Perhaps it was due to the bitters in the drink that made it seem odd to the taste buds? The drink also seemed like an odd combination with the dishes in this course.
For our fifth course, aka dessert, we got to have both the Flan and Mexican Chocolate Pudding. The flan had canella and orange and was served with pickled mangoes, while the Mexican Chocolate Pudding was served with mezcal crema. Both desserts were good. The flan had a unique flavor profile, probably due to the canella. As such, the chocolate pudding edged out the flan in this round for me. Dessert was paired with a Sparkling Cocktail – el jimador blanco, prickly pear, and sparkling wine – a nice finish to a great meal.
Flan with canella and orange
At the end of the our evening, we didn’t see Chef Mike Isabella in the dining area chatting with folks like we had seen earlier in the evening so we asked somebody about it and instead we got to head down to the kitchen on the third floor to chit chat with Chef Mike Isabella for a bit.
Meet and greet with Chef Mike Isabella
What was our damage at the end of the night? Well, the tab came out and our sum was $0! Technically, that’s not quite true as I had been paid $119 apiece when I had purchased our tickets from LivingSocial. Was it worth it? Definitely! We ate and drank extremely well and we got to meet Chef Mike Isabella. Not only that but during dinner my wife and I both felt like we were on Top Chef during restaurant wars. The only thing missing from our popup restaurant experience was a feedback card! Thanks LivingSocial for a wonderful experience and I look forward to enjoying more such evenings in the future!
Overall, we had a wonderful dinner experience. If our preview is indicative of the dining experience at Bandolero, Bandolero will no doubt be a big hit. I don’t know what the final prices for the various courses will be, but the portion sizes were generous and if that carries over, I don’t see anybody complaining about Bandolero not being a good bang for the buck, or leaving hungry/thirsty! I must admit that I’m typically not the biggest fan of tequila but all of the drinks were good. I particularly enjoyed the Michelada and would definitely recommend that to start off your Bandolero experience. If I do make it to Bandolero after it opens, I’ll probably be trying the other dishes that I didn’t get to try but if I were going to have some of the dishes again, I would go for the sopes, mahi mahi, spicy chicken, mole negro, finishing it off with the Mexican chocolate pudding.
Below is a more comprehensive photo documentary of our experience:
Coming soon . . . Tacos and Tequila, Top Chef style – Bandolero Pop-Up Restaurant
Received an email from LivingSocial on January 30, 2012 from their gourmet division so I decided to click and read more about it. The deal was from their Washington DC gourmet section and there were a couple of things that drew my attention – tacos, tequila, and Top Chef 🙂 Basically, for tickets at $119 apiece, this included:
- Five Courses of Modern Mexican Small Plates
- Tequila-Cocktail Pairings
- Chef Meet and Greet
- Gratuity and Other Fees
At first, the deal seemed a little pricey, but after further contemplation and reading the fine print, I decided to go for it. After all, it did include a preview of a new restaurant’s food at a pop-up restaurant, the food and drinks, including gratuities and other fees, and a chef meet and greet with former Top Chef contestant (twice!) Mike Isabella.
This event is specifically related to Chef Mike Isabella’s newest venture, Bandolero, which will be opening soon in Georgetown. I’ve always been curious about pop-up restaurants and wondered why more new places didn’t take advantage of the marketing opportunity. I’m sure it’s a lot more additional work along with already having to open a new place, but it looks like Chef Mike’s marketing team is on the ball by having this preview event for his new place to get the buzz going (not that there isn’t a lot already since Chef Mike has garnered some definitely foodie celebrity status).
My dinner tasting event isn’t until February 18, 2012, but I’m definitely looking forward to it and look forward to posting my experience to this blog. After checking back on the deal, I’m glad I got my tickets when I did as it looks like it’s all sold out! FYI, Chef Mike Isabella’s other Washington, DC establishment is Graffiato which is a great place to go if you haven’t already gone yourself, or you can just wait until Bandolero is actually open . . .
Screenshot of Living Social Bandolero Pop-Up deal
Ramen Dojo
My wife and I met up with a friend and we decided to go to dinner at Ramen Dojo on 1/16/2012. We got to Ramen Dojo around 7:30pm which was prime dinner time. We put our names on the list knowing we had to wait a while (there were probably 20 odd people waiting outside). After a wait of about 30 minutes or so we were finally seated. We were actually lucky that we were able to be served – we ended up being the second to last group as they were running out of broth for the night.
Alas, the much coveted garlic pork broth was already sold out so we were given the choice of the soy sauce or miso based broths. My selection was the soy sauce based broth, spicy, with extra pork and I must say the food was tasty. The pork was nicely made and melted in the mouth, complementing the noodles. Perhaps it was due to it being the dregs of the broth, or just that it was soy sauce based, but I found the flavor of the broth a tad salty. Our group had an order of the miso based broth which was also quite tasty but a little different in texture vs the soy based broth in that the miso based broth was a little thicker.
A typical bowl at Ramen Dojo
All in all, delicious ramen especially on a chilly night like the one we were there on. Next time, I’ll be getting there earlier so I can try the coveted garlic pork broth . . .
Ramen Dojo
805 S B St
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 401-6568
The quest for the perfect pot roast
With my previous attempt at making a pot roast being relatively successful, I wanted to try to do better. On this second attempt to make the perfect pot roast with the newly acquired All-Clad slow cooker from Williams-Sonoma, I did do a few things differently. In this attempt, the modifications were:
1) switching up my protein and using a pork shoulder instead of beef. Although the truely scientific method would be to keep my protein the same for taste comparison purposes, Safeway had a nice special on pork shoulder, and I had seen some good recipes using pork shoulder so I decided to go with it for this attempt.
1) changing the positioning in which I placed some of the vegetables. In my last attempt, I found out that vegetable placement in the slow cooker was also important if one wants certain vegetables to be desired textures. That is, the celery and brussel sprouts that I had placed atop everything and thought might still be fairly green and crispy once cooked were not so.
2) adding more chicken stock. The last time I made a pot roast, I could tell I did not have enough liquid. Why do I say so? Well, once cooked the pot roast should be partly submerged in liquid to keep it moist and provide more flavor. However, I was a little too stingy with the amount of chicken stock that I added last time so my meat was sitting atop my liquid vegetable bed. This time I made sure to add enough liquid (deglaze + stock) so as to cover about half of the pot roast. As juices will come out from the meat, and veggies, you don’t want to fill up the slow cooker completely with liquid.
For this blog entry, I’ve decided to provide a photodocumentary so as not to bore you with all the specifics. Pictures speak a thousand words anyways so please enjoy!
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- Washed fresh vegetables
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- Chopped yellow onions
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- Olive oil for the aromatics
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- Sauteeing garlic cloves
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- Sauteeing chopped onions
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- Onions getting some color
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- Nicely browned onions
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- Empty slow cooker ceramic insert
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- A bed of onions
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- A layer of carrots
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- Interspersing celery
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- The massic pork shoulder cut
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- Pork shoulder side profile
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- Lightly seasoned pork shoulder
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- Olive oil to brown the pot roast
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- Sizzling pork shoulder closeup
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- Browning the pork shoulder
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- Turning to brown all sides
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- Browning all sides
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- Meat on layer of onions, carrots and celery
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- Potatoes on the side
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- Brussel sprouts on the side
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- Cherry tomatoes on the side
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- Deglazing the meat browning pan with chicken stock
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- Adding a can of diced tomatoes and some cajun/taco seasoning to top off the pot roast
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- All ingredients in the slow cooker and ready to go
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- Slow cooker set 8 hr cook time
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- After 4 hr of cooking
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- The completed pot roast after 8 hr of slow cooking
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- Cooked pot roast closeup
So, what were the results of this pot roast attempt? Compared to the previous attempt, this pot roast definitely turned out much better. With the meat still submerged in the juices once cooked, the pork shoulder remained nice and moist unlike my previous beef pot roast. The vegetables also turned out better.
However, the quest for the perfect roast is not complete and I shall continue attempting to perfect my pot roasts . . .
Foodie Forays 