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Archive for the ‘Re-”vu”-s’ Category

Food Trucks: Sometimes You Just Need Carbs..

Posted in Food Events, Re-"vu"-s, tagged , , on September 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

So as you can tell, I’ve been pretty healthy recently.. Well sometimes a girl just needs some carbs! Having a pregnant sister that lives around the corner is a really good excuse too. So we went to the Moveable Feast just down the road. It’s a street food market set up in the parking lot right by the VTA stop at Curtner & Canoas Garden. There are usually about 15 or so trucks that vary week to week. There are both sweet and savory trucks, and some even take credit card over a certain amount. As it’s set up in a parking lot, little buckets are provided by the Moveable Feast group (along with temporary toilets). It can get pretty busy so be prepared to wait in line! But it’s usually worth the wait.

Here are some highlights.. Check out the Grilled Cheese Bandits. (Need I say more?!) One thing I noticed about these guys is that they were really nice and organized. They made sure to label both our orders. And I really like how they serve it in a box. Despite being just a small sandwich, the fact that it’s in a box and not wrapped in foil means it doesn’t get soggy! And FYI the Texas toast was the most incredible, light, fluffy, crispy bread.

The Butch Cassidy (provolone, Russian dry salami, Organic San Francisco sourdough batard)

The Dillinger (garlic jack with homemade garlic seasoning on Texas toast)

Our next stop was the Little Chef Counter which specializes in Poutine. Poutine is a dish that originated in Quebec. It’s a dish of French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. The Little Chef Counter have elevated the dish one more step by adding either braised short ribs or duck confit. Feast your eyes on it…

Poutine with gravy, duck confit and cheese curds

Another great truck that I didn’t manage to get a picture of (because I was too busy eating..) is the BBQ Kalbi. We had a Bibimbahp Burrito which was filled with grilled meat, rice and lots of veggies and sauce. Their side sauces were great too.. There was a mango one we loved. As you can see, I have no photo because I was unable to stop consuming the burrito! Definitely a must try..

And last but not least, I must rave about Fairy Cakes. These guys are almost always at this Moveable Feast location and thank goodness for it. I dream about these cupcakes.. I’ve had Sprinkles and Magnolia’s.. But these cupcakes.. First of all I love their unique flavors like my favorites: the Elvis (organic banana cake filled with chocolate ganache, topped with peanut butter buttercream) & the PB&J (rich vanilla cake with raspberry jelly surrounded with peanut butter buttercream). Their carrot cake is also extremely exceptional.. They’re so good I’ll be ordering them for my sister’s baby shower! Highly recommended! Oh, by the way, they serve it with ice cold Organic low fat milk. So perfect.

Fairy Cakes

Sigh.. At least we walked back to my sister’s house after this piggy session! Until next time..

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Farmers Market Figs With Bacon (Of Course)

Posted in Food Events, Healthy Foods, Re-"vu"-s, tagged , , on September 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

San Carlos

Last week I popped into San Carlos to meet a friend. I was so pleasantly surprised when it turned out there was a farmers’ market going on – otherwise known as Hot Harvest Nights. It was so picture perfect that evening. It was a very comfortable 70F-75F degrees. There was some live music playing. Fresh produce and hot food stalls lined the street. There were couples of all ages and little kids running around. I bought some fresh figs from one Organic farmer and settled into The Cask Wine & Cheese Bar to wait for my friend. I had a glass of Pinot Grigio and their aged English cheddar with orange preserve and crostini. The wine was cold, the cheddar slightly salty, the windows open and a nice breeze coming through. I would definitely come back to this place to have a proper meal. The service was really great too. Unfortunately, my friend wasn’t able to make it, but I came away with some delicious figs. The market was also extended one more week, so I might just go back this Thursday!

Line the tray with foil to make for easy cleanup!

As for the figs – I decided to roast them with one of its perfect partners: bacon. The saltiness of the bacon offsets the sweetness of the figs. It’s also incredibly easy to make this little nibble. Use either bacon or prosciutto (which would cook faster). Cut the tops off, wrap it around the figs and stuff either blue or goat’s cheese inside. Drizzle honey over it and roast them at 350F until the bacon is crispy. Check out this perfect hors d’oeuvre and others above in Nina’s Nibbles.

Sweet, crispy, gooey goodness

 

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Anniversary Dinner

Posted in British Cuisine, Re-"vu"-s, tagged , , on May 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Last Monday my darling husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. For dinner, we went back to the restaurant he took me to on my very first trip to the UK in 2007 – Rules. Rules is located in Covent Garden and is London’s oldest restaurant (established in 1798) and has served a wide range from Charles Dickens to the Prince of Wales. With silver service, guests are treated to traditional English food of the highest quality. The restaurant owns an estate in Northern England where it sources game and beef of the finest quality.

As the restaurant is a favorite of the Royal family, it was fitting I had a starter cocktail called the Kate Middleton “29″ with Sipsmith, Pinky Vodka, Lillet and Crystellised Violet & Rose Petals.

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For starters Chris had the pressed wild rabbit terrine with black pudding, cider jelly and mustard with grilled sourdough. I had traditional potted shrimp for the first time. Both were incredibly fresh and full of flavor.

As we did nearly five years ago, we ordered the roast beef for two with all the trimmings. And from looking around the room it was pretty clear that this was the menu favorite. This has to be THE best roast meal I’ve ever had and it was just as good as we remembered it to be. The meat was perfectly cooked rare and seasoned just right. The Yorkshire pudding was massive, and the creamy horseradish was homemade. But the potatoes.. Oh my.. I am not normally a potato lover. I eat them but I’m never dying for them. But these must have been The most incredible potatoes I’ve ever had. They were so crispy and golden that you really had to push your fork into them. Apparently they are roasted first in goose fat and then deep fried in the same fat! Yum yum yum… This dish is a classic example of how food does not always have to be complex to be good. Great, fresh ingredients treated with care can be absolute perfection!

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Oh How I Miss California Cuisine

Posted in French Flavors, Gourmet, Re-"vu"-s, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Every chef book I’ve read and each of my chef instructors in school always talk about the food from their childhood. It’s funny how so many of us, even if you’re not a chef or foodie, have childhood memories that involve or center around food. Most of my childhood was spent in the San Francisco Bay Area – an absolutely beautiful and diverse place. As I’ve gotten older, I always feel so fortunate to have grown up in a place where cultures collide and people are genuinely interested in each other. There are, of course, conflicts but again I was fortunate to not be too exposed to any sort of intolerance. I grew up with friends from many races and religions. And from that exposure, I developed a great love for learning about others. Every culture, every community is so unique. This upbringing also inspired me to travel the world. Even as a young teenager I fulfilled my dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower and eating a “real” croissant. Of course it all comes back to the food!

So back to why I’ve decided to write – recently my lovely sister and her fiance moved back to the Bay Area where they both grew up. I went to visit them and wanted to share some photos from the trip. It was funny though being back in the Bay as an adult as my parents left California while I was in college. It was the same yet much more sophisticated than I remembered. All the food was delicious, rich, complex yet incredibly fresh. I have already posted some Yelp reviews for two of the places, so I’ve included the links for them. But hope you enjoy the pictures!

Moscow Mule

First up – Cafe Des Amis. (Click here for my Yelp review). This place was very charming. It was one of those French restaurants that is trying to be authentic which it did a pretty good job at without trying too hard. We had a cozy table in the back next to the fire – very romantic actually. Our whole group was really happy with our dishes (steaks, mussels, lamb, escargot, salmon) but we were even happier with the drinks! They make a great Moscow Mule!

Oysters for the group

Gorgeous buttery, garlicky escargot

Perfectly cooked medium rare salmon on a bed of lentils

For brunch the next morning, my sister and I managed to drag ourselves (and I’m so glad we did!) to Foreign Cinema. My sister’s friend had been to a wedding there and raved about their brunch. They were right.. I’m only sad that I can’t go back to try more dishes!

Slow-cooked, brown sugar smoked bacon

(No longer on the menu) Fried eggs with zucchini, fried prosciutto, harissa and chicken sausage on bed of creamy palenta

Classic Croque Madame with super crispy fries!

The last place we visited was Morocco’s Restaurant in downtown San Jose. (Click here for my Yelp Review) My review says it all, so here are a couple pictures!

Imperial chicken couscous with caramelized onions and raisins

Briwatt phyllo turnovers with mixed fillings such as chicken with cinnamon

I could dream about these turnovers all night long!  The chicken briwatt tasted just like the traditional Moroccan pastilla that I’ve written about. It’s such a surprising combination of flavors. I love it when food catches you off guard like that – just when you think something should be sweet, it’s even better savory!

Hope you’ve enjoyed the photos! What have you been eating lately??

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A Darn Good Sandwich

Posted in American Cuisine, Re-"vu"-s, Sandwiches, tagged , , , , , on August 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Recently I returned to New Orleans – just about a year and a half after my first visit. I was delighted to find all the classics were still there and that not a thing had changed. The beignets at Cafe Du Monde were still hot and crispy and still worth the line. Deanie’s fried catfish dinner was still the freshest catfish I have ever had – melt in your mouth and not greasy crispy goodness. And of course – you can’t go to New Orleans and not have a muffuletta. A muffu-what?? Even if you don’t like olives, I bet you’ll LOVE this sandwich. It’s all about the quality of ingredients though. And if you’re in town, you must get your muffuletta from the original place Central Grocery. Now I admit it’s a bit of a tourist attraction, but I think it’s worth it.

In summary, a muffuletta is a sandwich made on a round Sicilian sesame bread with a chopped olive salad (olives, celery, cauliflower, carrot, etc) and layers of capicola, salami, pepperoni, ham, emmentaler and provolone. The bread is very similar to focaccia but not as greasy. Although this isn’t a warm sandwich (my usual preference), it’s fresh, crunchy, salty and full of flavor. Apparently I was eating my sandwich so well that some news photographer insisted on taking multiple photos of my sandwich. He said it was “smiling”! This is a definite must if you love sandwiches!

Muffuletta!

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Being a food tourist (UK Edition)

Posted in British Cuisine, General Food Topics, Gourmet, Italian Cuisine, Re-"vu"-s, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »

For the last couple of weeks, Chris and I have been showing my parents, aunt and uncle around the UK. As you’ll know from my blog, my family loves food. So it was only fitting that food was a central part of being a tourist with me!

We started in Birmingham for our 2nd wedding celebration with friends and family. We were blown away by our amazing caterers – Celebration Caterers- who fed us so well with the creamiest homemade pâté, incredible roast pork with the best crackling I’ve ever had, delicious vegetarian lasagna and much much more.

Homemade pâté with a clarified butter top

Served with rustic bread, mixed green salad and red onion chutney

Our next stop was to the Lake District to the family caravan. I couldn’t believe how lucky we got with weather! Loads of sunshine the first day and barely any drizzle the next. I promised the family that they were in for some of the best fish and chips and Cumberland sausages and they were not disappointed. You can’t really go too wrong with these classics!

Next stop – London!

(CLICK FOR MORE…)

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