city lights

morso

2012-02-06T12:36:00.000-06:00

gaztro-wagon was one of pioneers of food trucks established in chicago - serving delicious fine dining food on the go. but with the burst of food trucks in the chicago area, matt maroni (the founder of gaztro-wagon) has decided to go on hiatus till april.

on the flip side, there is still some good news for those who craves for his creations - the upscale sit down restaurant he opened late last year, morso where he just recently decided to transition to a consulting role at the restaurant. i've always missed my chance at trying gaztro-wagon food which i've heard praises from a few of my co-workers. so when i read that chef matt opened a restaurant, it was quickly added to my wishlist.

the dining area is located on the first floor where as the second floor is the lounge. the dining area was really narrow and i would probably have appreciated a little bit more space. decor was minimalist and although i have no problem with that (in fact, i like minimalist), i thought it could have used a bit more of something.

i was having a difficult moment deciding between two dishes - lobster or wild boar belly while xy had his mind made up even before he set food into the restaurant. lol

they started us out with what i would consider one of the highlights of our meal : complimentary bread basket (more like jar) with honey truffle butter.

slightly sweet from the honey and some flakes of salt flavors the butter beautifully with very mild earthiness of the truffle (i wouldn't mind a stronger truffle presence). the different types of bread offered different textural experiences from crunchy to crumbly which paired very well with the butter. yum!

shellfish :: lobster | gnocchi . leeks. fennel . chilli oil ($24)

i guess you could say i am in the search for delicious gnocchi - and these were pretty good. it was almost like a crunchy leek & fennel salad with cloud-like gnocchi then topped off with perfectly cooked lobster that imparted natural sweetness to the whole dish. then ever so slightly, you get the heat from the chilli oil on the back of the tongue - which was great because it didn't mask the delicate flavors of the other ingredients in the dish.

game :: roasted antelope | anaheim chile . cumin squash puree . red wine ($24)

xy wanted to try this antelope no matter what since he's never had it before. it's rather risky with something like antelope which is very lean piece of meat. even though it was probably cooked to rare it was still quite chewy and tough. was it the fault of execution? honestly, i don't know - probably not though. xy commented that it was too tough for his liking which i concurred. (oh, i thought it was gamey too but not in a bad way)

morso has unexpected and delicious combination of flavors - i personally would not have ever combined chilli oil with delicate lobster. one thing though, i am still confused in which direction of flavors morso is trying to achieve. regardless, if the rest of the dishes were anything like the bread and lobster (the antelope not so much) , i would like to return and try more of their creations.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

golden bulgogi parcels

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

note | i submitted this recipe in the 'discover korea's delicious secret'. i think this was recipe #5 >.< i am thrilled when i found a competition that combined both my loves together :: food and super junior :)

there are a few reasons why i love making extra bulgogi. i could whip up a quick delicious dinner or i could be adventurous and creative to create different dishes with it. i spent few hours of thinking and another few hours of researching to find inspirations for different recipes but still keeping to the classic flavors.

these golden bulgogi parcels are delicious savory and sweet bite-size snack where bulgogi is stuffed into puff pastry - my take on east meets west cuisine. they are perfect little appetizer, one i think everyone would really enjoy.

when i came across the idea of stuffing bulgogi into a dough, i was torn between filling it in puff pastry or those flaky biscuit dough. i finally decided on puff pastry since it was milder in flavor that would allow the flavors of bulgogi to shine. plus the flaky, airy, buttery and crispy textures of puff pastry would compliment the filling.

i was kinda nervous when using puff pastry cos i've never used it before and it seems so delicate. umm...i kinda cheated by buying frozen puff pastry sheets for two reasons - well, it is readily available in the grocery store and more importantly, making puff pastry dough from scratch intimidates me.

the other concern i had was that the filling would be dry and overcooked since it has to be precooked before i bake it in the oven. i think i found a quick fix to the problem which you will figure out when you refer to the recipe.

instagram-ed :: pre-cooking the filling

i used the bulgogi recipe that i wrote in a past entry with just a minor change. i thickened the sauce with some cornstarch when it was almost done so the filling isn't watery when placed onto the dough to be baked. i also refrigerated the filling to keep it cold so that when it would only heat the filling and hopefully not overcook the meat which can make it dry.

instagram-ed :: prepping of puff pastry dough

follow the instructions on the back of the box on how to thaw the puff pastry before use. definitely make sure that it's thawed and defrosted before use or not it would fall apart. i made them into bite size pieces so i divided the dough into 12 rectangles. (you can also choose to cut it into 9 pieces persheet)

instagram-ed :: the making of the bulgogi parcels

there were more than a couple which the parcel burst open to reveal its bulgogi filling after it was baked to golden brown perfection. in fact, i personally think that it gives character to each lil golden parcel hehe :)

verdict | these were a huge hit. i made some and brought it with me to louisiana and ryan's family finished all of it rather quickly - it is pretty addictive with the buttery goodness with the flakiness and almost doughy puff pastry with the sweet bulgogi it hides inside. :) yeah, they requested that i make more next time lol. definitely a great way to introduce newbies to korean cuisine.

if you are interested to give this recipe a shot, here it goes::

golden bulgogi parcel
self inspired recipe (i've also included the bulgogi recipe here, just in case)

ingredients |

1 pack of puff pastry, sheets (there should be 2 sheets of puff pastry)
1 egg, beaten
1.5 tsp cornstarch
hard boiled egg, sliced (optional)
0.5 lb sirloin, thinly sliced
6 button mushroom, sliced
1/4 medium onion, sliced
1 stalk of green onion, cut 1" lengthwise

marinade

2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs water
2/3 tbs sugar
2/3 tbs honey
2/3 tbs rice wine
2/3 tbs garlic, minced
2/3 tbs sesame oil
2/3 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbs grated fuji apple (which can be substituted with korean pear or apple juice)
a dash of pepper

special equipment : pastry brush

instructions |

firstly, marinade the thinly sliced sirloin. mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. bring together the sirloin, onion, green onions, mushroom and marinade; mix thoroughly and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour to tenderize the meat and bring the flavors together (i prefer to marinade overnight)
add the marinated meat onto a preheated skillet on high heat (which a spoonfuls of the marinade) and fry on medium high for about 5 minutes. since it will be a bit watery, add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce so it'll not make the pastry soggy when we bake it later
once the meat is cooked, remove from pan and let cool for a few minutes.
transfer to a cutting board to mince the bulgogi into smaller pieces. move it to a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator as we start working on the puff pastry. (you could pre-cook the bulgogi the day before which works out fine too)
thaw the frozen puff pastry according to instructions on the back of the box. ensure that the puff pastry is fully thawed and defrosted before working with it
preheat the oven to 375 F
sprinkle some flour on your work space and your hands so that the puff pastry will not stick to the surface
gently unfold the puff pastry sheet. divide and cut the sheet into 9 squares or 12 rectangles with a sharp knife.
add about almost 1-2 teaspoonful of the chilled minced bulgogi into the middle of the square/rectangle. you can also add a slice of hard boiled egg if you'd like but that is optional. remember to NOT overfill your pastry
take the two opposite points of the pastry square and bring them together in the middle.
then repeat it with the the other to points and then press down in the middle gently
squeeze the open edges together to seal the filling in the pastry
place the parcel on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. continue until you finish making all the mini parcels
take the beaten egg and pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry parcels
bake them in the preheated 375 F oven for about 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown on top
remove from oven and serve

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

jam

2012-01-30T11:21:00.004-06:00

brunch/lunch seems to be xy's preferred meal of choice when it comes to trying out restaurants. mostly because there is better lighting for pictures and it is cheaper than dinner lol. there are a few restaurants i've tried late summer/fall last year that i have yet to write about. and this is one of them: jam located in ukranian village, owned by chef jeffrey mauro who has worked at the renowned charlie trotter's and north pond.

i wouldn't have been able to find the restaurant if it weren't for xy standing outside, i could have probably walked past the restaurant. when i checked out the restaurant's website - the decor of the restaurant looks more finished. then, i realized jam has moved its address to logan square. (i apologize on my delays in entries that even the restaurant has changed address since my last visit there >.<)

however, they kept the decor and concept the same (at least from what i've seen in pictures). even though it was a narrow dining space, the mirrors that lined along the wall gave an impression of a bigger room. i loved that they took a minimalist approach in terms of decor with white and grey being the main colors with some burst of lime green. and how can i be opposed to an open kitchen (just as long as i don't smell like food after the meal) which allows patrons to watch the chefs hard at work.

although it was pretty busy, there were still a couple of tables available so no wait time (yay!) while i already figured out what i wanted to order, xy didn't have much luck with his choices. his first choice was the amish chicken under lunch option to which he was given a disappointing "we're all out of those, i'm sorry i forgot to mention it earlier" then he had to come up with plan b. after a couple of minutes, he opted the quiche, only to be told that they just sold the last slice >.< lol. he finally decided on steak and eggs (which i am sure he was bracing for another no) which thank goodness they had! third time's a charm, eh?

they started us out with an amuse-bouche of zucchini cake with cream cheese creme which i thought was an excellent introduction of their food. it was reminiscent of carrot cake but slightly different - it was moist and delicious.

breakfast :: eggs benedict | english muffin . poached eggs . crisped pork belly . fennel hollandaise ($10)

the presentation of this dish was quite the show stopper. i've never quite expected such a beautiful presentation for brunch, i would even go as far as calling it 'a work of art'. i am not sure what is my obsession with pork belly lately - i used to always avoid pork belly because it's fatty but boy, oh boy how my mind has changed about this delicious hunk of meat.

the pork belly took the cake - actually the whole cake and some more.. yes, it was THAT good. there was a good sear to give it a crispy exterior while it also kinda melted in your mouth with the savory satisfaction you would get from bacon but better. mmm... xy had a small piece and agreed on its greatness. haha. the eggs were poached beautifully with a runny yolk enriching the dish further with slight sweetness of the roasted fennel.

a couple aspects that brought down the dish was the fennel hollandaise which was too herbaceous that i ended eating around it. and i would have preferred something better than a regular english muffin to elevate the awesomeness of this dish.

breakfast :: steak&eggs | pan roasted skirt steak . poached eggs . risotto . smoked tomato sauce . truffled pecorino ($12)

although the presentation as beautiful as my dish, it looked rather delicious. however i was surprised they didn't ask xy on how he wanted the doneness of its steak though. he was nice to offer a bite to me and the steak was simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked to medium . he seemed to like it and mentioned that it was okay but admits about having the dish envy since he thought my pork belly dish was superior. he is still pretty adamant about coming back to get that elusive amish chicken dish though. lol

oh, one important thing to remember is to have some cash in hand because it's a cash ONLY place. how the system work at this place is you receive the check at the table and you pay at the counter.

there are a mix bag of reviews on both yelp and urbanspoon about jam and i think our brunch experience was just that. there were a couple of highs and a few lows but with a few tweaks, jam is heading in a promising delicious direction.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

it's the year of the dragon

2012-01-23T11:38:00.001-06:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

or as they would say it in korean :

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

(i'm trying to learn korean, so i am gonna try to include it wherever i can! haha)

it's the year of the dragon this year!

it's times like these that i miss home and sadly it almost doesn't quite feel like lunar new year here just for the simple reason that it isn't celebrated here in the US except for maybe in chinatown and argyle. my friends invited me for lunch yesterday, which at first, i almost didn't want to go because of the cold winter day but i thought it might be nice to have hang out with friends on cny eve.

my family sent me a cny card!

i cooked my own cny eve dinner and it had to be a good number of dishes (just due to personal superstition and beliefs) so i made three dishes (it was either that or 6,7,8,9 which might be too much for one person to consume).

the number 3 (三, pinyin: sān, jyutping: saam) sounds similar to the character for "birth" (生, pinyin: shēng, jyutping: saang), and is considered a lucky number
-wikipedia

so it had to be my mom's traditional shrimp dish and i decided on a fish which symbolizes "abundance". i was ecstatic when i found silver promphet fish which i've always remember having for every cny dinner and i made it as close as i could to what my mom's made in the past. third was a chicken dish, similar to what my mom would make but put a personal spin to it (by taking some elements from my dad's special soup which its recipe has been handed down through generations - that he only makes for cny)

it wasn't the nine dishes that my parents cooked for their reunion dinner (my mom called and i asked how many dishes they made this year and it was their usual 9) but it was good enough. hehe :) if you are interested, 9 symbolizes harmony or longevity.

anywho, i will be sharing the chicken and the shrimp recipe sometime in the near future so keep checking whenever you can :)

i wish everyone a healthy, prosperous chinese new year! i hope for a great year ahead.

gong hei fatt choy !!^^

(angpau, please! hehe)

<3 you all :)

p.s. my mom called me last night and this was part of our phone conversation.. apparently my sister sent me a card which i am still anticipating for because.....
mom : oh, your sisters sent you a cny card.
me: oh really? that's really nice of them,
mom: your second sister also enclosed two slices of 'bakgua'. she hopes that might entice you to come home.
me: umm...
my mom: she said that you would probably eat small pieces over a longer period of time and savor it since there isn't much of it. *laughs*
me: -.- unfortunately, that is probably true...
*if you are wondering what 'bakgua' is.. it's chinese salty-sweet dried meat product akin to jerky... i have to admit that my sisters know me too well sometimes >.< <3 you sis!

choc molten lava awesomeness

2012-01-20T09:11:00.001-06:00

i know i've been sharing a few korean food recipes lately and thought it might be good to take a detour just for a bit.

for no apparent reason, i just had an urge to make chocolate molten lava cake on new year's eve... thought it'd be nice to make something special to usher in the new year and plus how can you go wrong with chocolate right? (totally!)

there were a couple of recipes that i found and consulted ryan after i narrowed it down to two - we chose the one that has a lot more chocolate and a lot less other ingredients lol. i am not even sure if i should tell you how much chocolate and butter cos it might scare you away from the recipe...

...okay.. here it is. half of a bittersweet chocolate bar and half a stick of butter in each 6 oz ramekin..... (ignore the amount of calories! as long it's not a weekly indulgence haha)

the recipe makes four which was perfect since it was me, ryan, his mom and ryan's friend, J who came to hang out and join us for dinner. in fact, i think it really was the chocolate molten lava cake that sealed the deal in convincing J to drive 2 hours from new orleans to baton rouge. haha. i was a bit worried that i might overcook the center and ends being a regular chocolate cake so i was definitely keeping a close eye on the oven.

instagram-ed :: the makings of chocolate molten lava cake

there are a couple of things to be careful with.

one | patience is key. double boiler may take a longer time to get your chocolate melted but it ensures that it doesn't burn.

two | make sure the sugar melts completely or close to completely in the chocolate.

three | also, the eggs need to be tempered before adding it to the warm melted chocolate+butter mixture cos you don't want scrambled egg in your chocolate..well..that would just be yuck! you can do that by adding a few tablespoon of the warm chocolate into the beaten egg, one at a time and then mix so it brings the egg to temperature before adding the rest of the chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs.

after i spoon-ed the chocolate mixture into the 4 ramekins, there were some leftover chocolate mixture and i offered it to ryan and j so they could lick the bowl clean. ryan gives J a regular spoon but then whips out a ladle out for himself. >.< lol.

(actually, there was only one clean spoon left while the rest were in the dishwasher so ryan was just being nice by offering the last clean spoon to J)

once baked, here comes the most challenging part, to flip the mini cake over on a plate and not have it fall part. the first one flipped over almost perfectly in one piece, much to my delight. it was shortlived with the not-so-successful flip for the second and third one but the fourth one came out quite easily. regardless how it came out, it was still pretty darned delicious - all four of them.

verdict | mmmm..rich decadence in every bite. so freaking good. ryan and his mom thought that it kinda does remind them of the famous chocolate molten cake from chilli's but better. i beamed and blushed at that. successful attempt! ^^

i totally recommend something like whipped cream or vanilla ice cream or berries or even all three to cut through the rich yumminess. when we were at the store, buying ingredients for the cake, vanilla ice cream was on top of his grocery list. i thought whipped cream would probably be lighter but his response was between ice cream and whipped cream, ice cream is the superior choice. haha. you would think that the ice cream would make it too much but actually it does the opposite for this dessert. the chill of the ice cream contrasts the cake and warm, gooey melted chocolate center...yummmmmmmm.

i actually posted a picture of this deliciousness on fb which received some favorable responses and promised to post the recipe.. so if you are a chocoholic or even want to make this just to pamper yourself, here is the recipe :

chocolate molten lava cake

taken from gwen's kitchen creations

ingredients |

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1/2 lb bittersweet chocolate, at least 60 percent (definitely recommend a good quality chocolate since it's what makes the dessert)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 tbs cake flour

special equipment : double boiler, four 6-oz ramekins (i only found 7-oz ones and they worked fine)

instructions |

preheat the oven to 350 F
butter four (6-oz) ramekins and set aside
over a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate, whisking until smooth. make sure to whisk until the chocolate and butter have combined into a smooth chocolate mixture
whisk in the sugar, making sure most of the sugar dissolves in the warm chocolate mixture
in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth
pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs (remember to temper the eggs first with a couple of tablespoon of the warm chocolate mixture)
whisk until smooth, then add the flour and combine until smooth.
pour the batter into the prepared ramekins about 2/3 full
bake the cakes until slightly puffy and set around the edges, 20-25 minutes. don't worry if your cake tester comes out wet, the center should still be loose. serve warm - highly recommend with berries and vanilla ice cream.

note one :: to make your own double boiler, use a heat proof bowl that fits snuggly over a pot with simmering (not boiling) water, keeping the heat on low to medium-low. also make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the warm water - you want to only use the steam as the source of heat to melt the chocolate.
note two :: check the cakes earlier at about 15 minutes, and every 5 minutes after to make sure they don't overcook since not every oven is the same and the temperature is inconsistent.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

slurping turtle

2012-01-18T09:30:00.001-06:00

when i first heard that chef takashi yagihashi was opening a new restaurant that focuses japanese comfort food from his childhood late fall/early winter, i was more than ecstatic. slurping turtle is a lot closer to my apartment and a warm bowl of delicious ramen any day of the week (be it lunch or dinner except for sunday when they only serve dinner) was the perfect comfort food for the approaching cold winter days. why turtle? turtle is the symbol of longevity in japan and slurping in japanese culture usually means compliments to the chef.

i've had sunday ramen brunch at takashi before and i enjoyed the flavors quite a bit. so i was looking forward to this noodle dinner with my friend, xy who is on the search for the best ramen around. the restaurant was packed on a friday evening but phew ! we got there just before the wait list started so we managed to get seats at the communal table. (let me rant just a bit : dear chicago restaurants, what is up with communal tables almost everywhere?! i've seen enough of those and am so over communal tables...so let's do away with it..kthanksbai! /end rant)

communal tables aside, i love the decor at the restaurant which was modern contemporary in warm shades of green, bronze and a splash of red with japanese accents to reflect its identity. it was simple yet beautifully done with open kitchen where some patrons are able to see the chefs at work. in fact, i saw chef takashi expediting the dishes out the diners.

both of us agreed on getting our own bowl of ramen while we shared an appetizer. the menu looked similar to the sunday brunch menu at takashi but with a couple more selections. my boss has mentioned how excellent the pork belly bun was so that was what we went with.

appetizer :: pork belly snack ($8)

when the dish arrived, i went oooo.. it looked delicious but i believe the conversation after that was:

xy: so umm, which one do you want? both the pork belly slices doesn't seem to be the same size.

me: yeah, i noticed that too. hmm.. i guess i'll take the smaller one.

xy: you sure?

however, after the first bite, i was thinking to myself, "dammit...i should have taken the bigger one.." lol.

this bite size appetizer was delicious - sweet, succulent and tender pork belly with the bite from the mustard and soft bun to soak the sauce. there are several layers of flavor in one bite - all balanced and compliments each other so well. however, i am not sure if i can justify $8 for perhaps four small bites of food which left me a bit unsatisfied. i would have definitely loved more of it.

noodles & rice :: shoyu noodles | egg noodle, classic tokyo style soy broth, braised pork shoulder, naruto, bamboo shoots ($13)

i kinda knew what i wanted to order before i even stepped foot into the restaurant. i absolutely the braised pork shoulder in the ramen i had at takashi and just the braised pork shoulder itself was enough to convince me for an encore bowl of ramen with hopes for a repeat of that yummy performance. this ramen was good with a savory and salty warm broth that warmed me right up. good ramen but nothing amazing. the two slices of pork shoulder was too fatty and while it was still delicious, it wasn't as awesome as my first experience. oh, but i still wouldn't mind more slices of pork shoulder please? :)

noodles & rice :: slurping noodle | rice noodle, napa cabbage, black tiger shrimp, cilantro ($13)

xy's comment on fb about this dish was "had a nice herbal taste (and smell!) to it". since his office is close to noodles by takashi yagihashi, he compared both noodles and said this was definitely more flavorful. the soup has layers of flavor compared to the ramen he's had at noodles by takashi.

i haven't quite figured out what i think of slurping turtle. although the noodles were good, i thought the pork belly snack took center stage. even xy liked our appetizer better than our noodles dishes. a friend asked him what he thought about the place and i think he summarized it pretty well : "it was, shall we say, good but not worth the hype lol." go without expectation or be swayed by the hype and you will have a delicious time - especially perfect for these cold winter days.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

bulgogi {불고기} from scratch

2012-01-15T16:53:00.000-06:00

note | i submitted this recipe in the 'discover korea's delicious secret'. this was part of a full recipe that i combined to add a twist to the classic recipe. i am thrilled when i found a competition that combined both my loves together :: food and super junior :) incidentally, i was also exploring korean food in the past few months so it was perfect! keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya? :)

what was my first ever korean dish i have ever made?

it took me a few minutes to figure it out but the first korean dish i cooked happens to be one of my favorite korean dishes :: bulgogi {불거기}! however, i have to admit i've been cheating by using the bottled marinade from hmart since i didn't know better. but boy, it was a great and delicious short cut dinner.

bulgogi is one of the most famous korean cuisines. in fact, because it is a mild but very flavorful dish, it is an ideal introduction dish to korean cuisine to someone who has yet to experience the flavors of korea. bul {불} translates to fire and gogi {고기} means meat which makes bulgogi : 'cooking meat on fire'. bulgogi is made using thin slices of sirloin or other prime cuts of beef while the base marinade is usually a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic with addition of some vegetables. at restaurants, you could either ordered cooked served with a side of white rice or you could grill it yourself at the table.

if you refer to the note at the top of the entry, this recipe was a part of a recipe since i needed bulgogi as an ingredient for my other recipes i had in mind. so i've been searching online and comparing ingredients to find out what makes the yummy marinade mixture.

i promise you that this is one of the simplest recipes to make :: the basic steps are to get all the ingredients together for marinade, add meat, leave overnight and cook. sounds simple enough, yes? i would usually prepare all of it the night before to ensure all the meat absorb all the great flavors and also it tenderizes the meat with the addition of grated apple/pear in the marinade. oh and it's always a great idea to make extras! :)

it literally takes a couple of minutes to cook it in a hot pan. i would crank up the heat so that it caramelizes the sugar in the marinade to get a concentrated flavor. anything longer than a few minutes would make the meat dry.

verdict | i have to say i was pretty proud of myself with this dish. my first thought when i tasted was 'oh, it really tastes like the real deal!' leaving it overnight was a great idea because it allowed the flavors to combine together. sweet, savory beef slices where its meatiness is echoed by the mushroom slices which did a great job of absorbing the marinade. the onions definitely permeated its flavor throughout the dish so if you are not a huge fan of onions you might want to reduce the amount but i loved the sweetness of it and it would go so well with a bowl of warm rice. one thing i would probably fix is the amount of sesame oil which was a lil strong in the dish. .

now that i know how simple it is to make the marinade, i could always just make my own whenever i want to. ^^

so if you would like to have some bulgogi but can't find a korean restaurant to go to (or find bottled marinades) or even just want to make this dish from scratch, the recipe is as follows:

bulgogi {불고기}
recipe inspired by a few recipes i found online.

ingredients |

1 lb thinly sliced ribeye
1 small onion, sliced
2 stalks of green onions, sliced 2" lengthwise
0.5 lb sliced mushroom (i used fresh white mushrooms; optional but preferred)

marinade

3 tbs soy sauce
1.5 tbs water
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs honey
1 tbs rice wine
1 tbs garlic, minced
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1.5 tbs grated fuji apple (typically it should be Asian pear. if you can't find neither, substitute with apple juice)
a dash of black pepper

directions |

combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix well. transfer it to a huge ziploc bag or container.
add the beef slices and make sure the marinade and beef slices are mixed well together.
let marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight to let all the ingredients meld together.
heat the pan on medium high and then add the amount of marinated meat you would like to have.
cook until the meat is cooked through and slightly caramelized and the onions softens slightly (typically 6-8 minutes)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

chant

2012-01-13T10:57:00.001-06:00

i was thrilled when i received an email from chef chris hora, the executive chef at chant in hyde park. it was an invitation to a blogger brunch event last sunday :: blogger bloody mary bowie birthday bash brunch ~ i have to say to the name is quite the mouthful. nonetheless, i was uber excited but at the same time nervous because it was my first official blogger tasting event (besides the food tour by chicago food planet) .

to be quite honest, i have not heard of chant restaurant prior to the email i received. i had to do a bit of research about the restaurant before going to the event. from what i've gathered:
o1| chant focuses on asian fusion cuisine.
o2| chef hora has been recently appointed as the executive chef at chant just last september, arriving from LA.
o3| that chris hora starred in a food network show called chef hunter. i watch food network almost religiously! and to be invited to an event by someone who was on a food network show...i mean, how exciting is that?!

i was the first to arrive to the restaurant ~ a tad too early, in fact. 15 minutes earlier than my reservation at 11:30am. i could clearly see chef chris hora planning out with his team (for the event, i assume) as i entered the restaurant. nerves started to kick in... i was thinking to myself 'what is the right thing to do at these events?'

i was seated at a table when chef hora came by to my table to say hello. he offered a glass of bloody mary and when i mentioned that i didn't drink, he was very nice to offer to make a virgin version of the drink. i mean the blogger brunch is called 'bloody mary bowie birthday bash' so i had to give it a try. i've never really had bloody mary's before but i thought it was a pretty tasty drink. tomato-y with a hint of savoriness and a slight heat and bite at the end.

the decor at the restaurant is quite interesting and different which left me a bit confused. the style was leaning towards a thai direction but i thought it was almost adopted in an edgy (think punk rock) way. there are some decor pieces that i really like which compliments their theme but i'm not sure if the overall impression reflected chant's identity. however, according to the yelpers opinions, most of them thought the decor was cool, hip and trendy.

i was offered the brunch menu and was at a loss as to what to order. i asked my very perky and friendly server what she would recommend and she narrowed it down to three for me : the sweet potato five spice pancakes, honey chipotle wings or eggs with chant potatoes. as tempting as the honey chipotle wings sounded, i wanted to try something that represented chant that is asian fusion. so i opted for the pancakes.

brunch | sweet potato five spice pancakes and vanilla cream ($7)

normally, i wouldn't pick a brunch/sweet item that has five spice since it is usually used in savory dishes and my mind would almost immediately think of chinese roast duck. but i was immensely interested on how the flavor combination would work in this dish. surprisingly, it turned out rather well. these pancakes were crispy on the outside encasing the soft but slightly dense interior. the five spice whispered its presence where i could still taste it but it didn't make me think of duck as i took bites. and i loved that i could see small bits of sweet potato in the pancakes itself. there were a few things that i would have preferred though - the pancakes could use a more sweetness with maybe maple syrup or honey on the side and would love to taste more vanilla in the cream.

i had the pleasure of meeting with philip moy, a rather friendly guy in charge of chant's marketing strategy and we chatted a bit about the background of chant and of its neighborhood, hyde park over my pancake tasting. we also shared our views on chicago food scene and our love for anything delicious.

one | arrival of chef hora to chant has sparked a change in chant ~ a new improved menu taking experiences from chef hora's travels around the world.
two | chant has a sister restaurant in the same neighborhood :: noodles etc which has a more casual setting
three | chant's decor is supposed to mimic the ambiance of dining on the streets in thailand which kinda pieced what the decor was about.
four | he has actually tried a third of the all menu items and he mentioned his favorite is 'benedict, wahoo, bok choy, snow peas, poached eggs, sauce cherone' so probably give that a try when you get a chance. :)
five | chef hora is bringing farm-to-table approach which is awesome not just for the diners with the use of freshest ingredients but also for the local farmers.

chant restaurant under the lead of chef hora is heading in the right direction in representing the growing food scene in hyde park. while there are some aspects that has room for improvement, i'd like to return to try out what chef hora has to offer for lunch/dinner menu.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

p.s. i was invited by the chef for a complimentary brunch to try out their new menu.

korean spicy patties with hobak namul

2012-01-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

note | i submitted this recipe in the 'discover korea's delicious secret'. i was thrilled when there was a competition that combined both my loves together :: food and super junior :) incidentally, i was also exploring korean food in the past few months so it was perfect! wish me luck. i'd love to win! :D

i love korean food.. a lot. i have my favorites and one of my favorite dishes to get a korean restaurants is the spicy marinated pork a.k.a daeji bulgogi / daeji bokkeum { 돼지불고기 / 돼지벆음}. it is one of korea's popular meat dishes where thinly sliced pork loin is marinated in a special blend of red pepper paste with a mix of vegetables. the base of the marinade is gochujang{고추장} which is a savory fermented korean paste made of red chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt which imparts spicy, savory flavor to the dish. that is what i love about it ~ spicy and savory. ^^

this korean spicy patties recipe is an ode to the daeji bulgogi where patties of a mix of ground pork and beef takes on the flavors and marinade of daeji bulgogi. inspired by the tteok galbi recipe i found on aeri's kitchen blog, i came up with my own variation of the dish. i serve it with a side of hobak namul {호박나물} which is considered as a korean side dish (ban chan {반찬}). hobak namul translates to green and golden thread zucchini salad and is perfect to mellow the spiciness of these tasty fiery patties.

what i love about this dish is its versatility. it goes deliciously well with rice or between two slices of bread with a slather of mayonnaise to make it into a korean inspired sandwich/burger slider or even be made into an appetizer on its own. it's very simple and doesn't take long to make.

it was quite the pain having to constantly take step-by-step instagrams since i was working with raw meat (washing hands constantly) but well worth it cos photo collage is the most interesting way to tell a story :)

instagram-ed :: korean spicy patties

i decided to use a 50/50 ratio of ground pork and beef mixture for a tastier combination of meat flavor while the ground beef (i used 80/20 ground beef) gives the much needed fat for the leaner ground pork to keep the patties moist. if you'd prefer one or the other, you can always opt to just use one type of ground meat.

instagram-ed :: hobak namul (green and golden thread zucchini salad)

since this dish required me to julienne the vegetables, i used a mandolin (i got as a birthday present two years ago) for the first time. love this gadget but good gracious, one word of caution - be extremely careful cos i hurt myself on the knuckles in the process >.< i call them battle scars so it's all good. but damn you, carrot.

verdict | it was really delicious. the heat and spiciness coupled with the sweetness of the marinade make these patties addictive. the roughly chopped shallots and green onions in the patties gave it that textural difference and color. i would call these patties packed with flavor and it goes very well with the zucchini salad ('pats self on back for pairing these two together' hehehe ^^) if you're concerned about it being too spicy, omit the red chillies in the recipe and use a milder gochujang (i used #4 since i loveeeeee spicy food).

to serve this dish, i place the warm patties on a bed of chilled hobak namul (i left it in the fridge for 30 minute or so) for the temperature contrast. the refreshing salad cools the sweet heat from the these korean spicy patties. i just love how colorful this dish is with the red chillies and green onions running through the patties, which rests atop a vibrant salad.

these are the recipes if you wanna try making these patties of deliciousness:

korean spicy patties

recipe inspired by daeji bulgogi

ingredients |

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef (sirloin or a beef cut with some fat)
4 medium shallots (or 1/2 medium onion)
3 stalks of green onion
2 red chillies (optional)

marinade

3 tbs red pepper paste :: gochujang {고추장}
1 tbs korean red chilli pepper flakes :: gochugaru {고추가루}
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine
1.5 tbs sugar
1 tbs honey
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs grated ginger
1/8 tsp black pepper

directions |

mix both of the ground meats together in a large bowl.
chop 2 of the medium shallots (or quarter of a medium onion), green onions and chillies. you can leave out the red chillies if you are concerned that it might be too spicy for your liking.
grate the rest of the shallots. combine all the shallots (both chopped and grated), green onions and chillies with the mixture of ground meat. mix them slightly and gently. set aside
in a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. mix thoroughly before adding it to the meat-vegetable mixture.
adding the marinade to the meat mixture, knead all the ingredients gently but thoroughly (for about 2 minutes). however, you do not want to overwork the meat mixture (it may get tough if you do so) so you should stop once you have a homogenous mixture.
place a plastic wrap over the bowl and leave it in the refrigerator to marinade for about 20 minutes to an hour (at least half an hour)
after marination, take the amount of a golf ball size and shape the meat mixture into a ball. then, slightly flatten it to create patties.
space the patties out on a non-stick pan ( you do not need to oil the pan) on medium heat. do not overcrowd the pan so work in batches if you have to. it is important to not cook it at high temperatures because the patties will burn rather easily without the middle of the patties cooked through.
once the juices come out of the meat, flip it over. i refrain from pressing the patties with a spatula since that would force the juices out and make them less moist. reduce the temperature to medium low.
flip them once or twice more and fry them until both sides are nicely browned. if there is a bit of char on the outside, that is to be expected since the sugar in the marinade caramelizes.
make sure the patties are cooked through in the middle (about 10-12 minutes) but check the doneness through the patties to make sure it isn't raw. patience is definitely key here, so be sure to be frying them at lower temperatures.

green and golden thread zucchini salad {호박나물}

taken from 'the asian grandmothers cookbook'

ingredients |

2 green and 2 yellow medium zucchini (halved, seeds removed and julienned thinly)
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned thinly
salt
2 tsp sugar
Ground white pepper
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sweet cooking wine
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbs sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling

directions |

finely julienne the zucchini and carrots.
place the zucchini and carrots in a colander over the sink, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and mix. then, let stand for 15 minutes.
working in batches, wrap the julienned vegetables in a paper towel and gently wring out excess moisture. extract as much extra moisture as you can, but try not to crush the vegetables.
fluff up the zucchini and carrots. add sugar, white pepper, lemon juice, ginger, sesame oil and sweet cooking wine. add salt to taste.
to finish it off, sprinkle some sesame seeds and toss.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

bongo room

2012-01-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

blogger's note || so let's see what stuff i have to catch up on

summer 2011 :: bongo room brunch, coffee republic in folsom, sable kitchen brunch (this is way delayed i know >.< )

fall 2011 :: brunches at jam and kanela breakfast club, ramen at slurping turtle, dinner at morso

last month :: sola brunch, restaurants i tried in lousiana and korean inspired recipes (about 4-5 of them) as well chocolate molten lava cake and crispy salmon dish i made.

i promise you there are a lot of stuff that i need to write about. let's catch up with the really late posts that i was supposed to write about months ago starting with bongo room :p good thing i take notes after my visits ^^

* * * *

i met with two of my friends from florida for brunch since they were in chicago for the weekend for their friend's wedding. i haven't seen them for ages and i had to find a few good brunch places for them to choose from. i know chicago has an extensive list of brunch places - one of which i suggested was bongo room in south loop (the other one is in wicker park) which had more than a few rave reviews on yelp and urbanspoon.

so i was going to take the bus to get there and i was waiting for a good half hour before the bus came by. i got on, paid my fare and took one of the seats near the exit door. but then, the most ridiculous thing happened - enough to make me tweet angrily about it:

so yeah, that was exactly what happened. i sat there, clueless and confused. i wasn't the only one confused cos there were a couple of people waiting at the bus stop peering in, searching for the bus driver. i even wondered if he was going to have breakfast at panera and how long i would have to wait. i got more antsy with each passing minute cos i was already late. thank goodness he came back a couple of minutes after with a coffee cup in hand. i have to add that he wasn't exactly the best driver either and hoped that i didn't have to get on his bus ever again.

so i thought this was that one rare occurrence but apparently i was wrong when i read this response tweet by @kristainchicago, author of the blog passportdelicious:

i laughed a lil bit when i read this. well, i guess at least he offered to buy her a hot dog from 7-11.

anywho, as i got to bongo room, it wasn't quite what i expected. from the outside, it looked like the place was an unfinished space. as i entered the restaurant, i had trouble maneuvering myself around the small waiting area was very packed because it was raining outside. the wait was expected to be around an hour. i really hope that the food was worth the wait and started to feel bad for recommending this place because of the long wait and i didn't even know if the food here was good.

the decor inside was a lot better than i imagined from what i saw outside. it was quite cozy actually. we were seated at the corner of the restaurant where there was a colorful checkered wall that i really like. in fact, one of my friends had a shirt that matched the wall and we chuckled about it for a bit and he took a photo with it which turned out really nice. it didn't take long before our server came by and took our order.

shrimp, avocado and feta benedict | two toasted english muffins topped with poached eggs, shrimp, avocado, and crumbled feta with parsley, chive pesto hollandaise sauce, served with hash browns ($14.95)

xy said this dish was alright but was far from being impressed. both of his poached eggs were overcooked though where the yolk was completely cooked through. i am not sure what to think about brunch places that overcook eggs.

BLT benedict | two toasted english muffins topped with poached eggs, grilled canadian bacon and classic hollandaise sauce, served with hash browns ($13.95)

i asked E what he thought about his choice and i could tell he wasn't too ecstatic about it either. he only finished half of his dish and the rest of the bacon. he says that he usually eats smaller portions and more frequently but i think he was just being really nice lol. and yes, both of his poached eggs were also overdone. xy joked that at least they were consistent - to which i add, consistent not in a good way? regret started to seep into my mind since i suggested this place.

red velvet hotcakes | chocolate-y cocao flavored hot cakes with warm vanilla creme and toasted crushed walnuts ($9.50)

this was a huge serving of red velvet pancakes. i have to say it was probably the best dish we had - texturally it was pleasant albeit slightly more dense than i am used to. it was a lil heavy and could have definitely used a lot more of the vanilla creme since there were so much hot cakes. however, i was left craving more chocolate flavor that they promised in their description. at least L enjoyed it and so did the rest of the table. the walnuts were a good textural contrast from the soft pancakes and creamy vanilla creme.

chorizo omelette | chorizo, queso fresco and avocado omelet served with hash browns

another huge plate of food and kinda overwhelmed a lil bit by the generous portion. the omelet was light but it was too salty from the chorizo. but it was mellowed out a bit by the creamy avocado and the queso fresco. my vote for it was not bad and overall had a good flavor profile but could have shown a little more restraint. i really liked the hash browns especially with the tomato ketchup.

while the service was quick to take our order, it took us a while to flag a person to get E a clean fork since he accidentally dropped his on the floor. it came to the point that he gave up and went up to the counter to ask for it. but they were quick to remove plates from under our noses and to give us our check. i guess they were in a hurry to get us out of there to bring in more diners.

our consensus was that bongo room was not worth the wait and i question the hype for this place. maybe, i am not so much for a breakfast/brunch places with super sized portions of food which i thought was average and inconsistent across the table. (i'm rather picky when it comes brunch places since i prefer lunch over brunch most of the time) oh, who can forget the overpoached eggs? perhaps, i ordered the wrong dishes but i don't think i would return a second time to wait another hour to test out that theory.

oh and to top it off, you know what.. i took the bus home cos it was drizzling and it was the same driver from this morning.. sigh. what a day. (i guffawed at the irony and absurdity of the situation actually..lol)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

top 11 food eaten in 2011

2012-01-03T13:00:00.001-06:00

i know i've promised a few entries during the holidays but between trying out korean inspired recipes, eating out at new restaurants and christmas vacation, i've slacked quite a bit. but now i'm back with new material :: a couple of recipes and some restaurants i've tried last year that i was supposed to blog about.

but firstly, happy new year!

to be honest, i am a lil overwhelmed by 2012 since there is gonna be some major changes this year but let's not get into that for now. spent the christmas and new year's in louisiana with tons of good food, fantastic weather, fun company and adorable cat + dogs. { i miss them already :( btw i forgot to take a picture with sadie, meagan's cute beagle! >.< }


meet paws, the adorable but highly moody + independent cat and...

...happy, who is a spoiled shitzu but so cute she is able to get away with almost anything.

oh i almost forgot. we managed to find some almost elusive boiled crawfish since it was still too early for crawfish season but they were delicious! ryan and i consumed probably a combined amount of 10-12 lbs of boiled crawfish >.<

since it's the new year, i'm gonna reminiscent and try to narrow down top 11 items i've had in 2011. it was originally supposed to be top 10 but i think 11 is quite fitting since it's 2011 ^^

the top 11 list :: this isn't in any particular order since they are all so different plus it was so difficult to narrow it down. these are probably the dishes that i talk about again and again even months after we've eaten these plates of deliciousness.

one | longman&eagle's chanterelle agnolotti

it's so delicious that ryan and i still talk about it.....a lot. it was from the small plates menu, which we weren't so sure at the beginning because of the veal heart but we were so glad that we decided to be adventurous and tried it anyway. it was fantastic in terms of balance of earthiness from black truffle and chanterelle with sweetness of the huckleberries which makes even something like brussel sprouts taste amazing.

two | longman&eagle's gruyere donuts

yes, L&E gets two mentions this year. what makes it so special imo is the fact that it's a cheese based dessert and it was just as awesome as it was different. the testament to how delicious it was was that ryan and i were both stuffed after our meal but i insisted on trying this - just could not resist. we were surprised by how light this was since these babies were fried and filled with cheese. the play of savory and sweet as well as crispy and creamy textures made the dish! :)

three | arami's double sake roll

arami has established itself as my most favorite japanese restaurant in the states, at least so far. its sophisticated simplicity with the freshest ingredients is displayed in this special maki roll. the lightness and delicacy in terms of flavors and the restraint of the lemon mayo drizzle amplified the flavors of fresh salmon itself allowing it to shine.

four | boka's ginger kulfi

my friend, andy warrants the greatness of this dessert. i believe his exact words were 'the dessert will blow your faces off' so i think it would be an injustice to not include this on this list. not because of what he said but that he took the words out of my mouth when i tasted this at the michelin one star restaurant. the ginger kulfi is still the best dessert i've tried in a restaurant. i still stand true to my description ~ their interpretation of a deconstructed smores for grown ups - a harmonious symphony for the taste buds.

five | avec's chorizo stuffed medjool dates

avec's most popular dish on their menu and with good reason. charles caleb colton once coined the phrase imitation is the best form of flattery and that was what i tried cooking a few months back. bacon always make everything better with its smokiness and saltiness, wrapped around a sweet medjool date that is stuffed with spicy and flavorful chorizo and all these rounded out by the sauce. one of the best things i've ever had so far.

six | shanghai terrace's peking duck salad

peking duck was the main highlight of the meal that night but what stood out more i thought was the salad which they used the rest of the duck meat in dishes. i fell in love with the salad when i first tasted the flavor of truffle coating the bitterness of greens which is contrasted with its sweet vinaigrette mixed in with the succulent duck which is contained in a crispy wonton cup.

seven | next restaurant's caneton rouennais a la presse & gratin de pommes de terre a la dauphinoise

those french words simply translates to roasted & pressed duck with a side of scalloped potatoes with gruyere. i consider this as one dish since it came together. when next restaurant's first menu, paris 1906 debuted, the pressed duck took main stage and was anticipated as the dish to try which lived up to its tasty expectation. what took people by surprised was the scalloped potatoes gratin and its execution was perfection. the initial thought would be the duck would shadow the "side dish", instead these two dishes stood side by side on the same pedestal, commanding equal love and respect. there was one more dish from next that almost made it to the list certainly deserves a brief mention : brioche with foie gras with apricot jam.

eight | incanto's clams in country ham brodo

this comes across as a very simple dish but it ended up as a yummy rendition that combines clams and the pig - what i guess is chris consentino's area of expertise. refreshing burst of tomatoes with the taste of the sea from the clams swimming in a savory and smoky broth. just yum! :)

nine | davanti enoteca's mascarpone polenta + pork shoulder with san marzano tomatoes and porcini mushroom

one of the times i had a huge dish envy. i went to davanti enoteca for their sea urchin and crab linguine - while it was delicious but it was outshone by this hearty dish that my friend ordered. creamy polenta paired with melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder braised in a earthy and well seasoned ragu is quite hard to beat. it was pretty amazing to the point that i was staring at my friend's dish while savoring my entree. hehe.

ten | blackbird's wood-grilled sturgeon

as much as i was not too pleased with the service at blackbird (it felt awkward and uncomfortable, to say the least), this was one dish that stayed in my mind. succulent with complicated layers of flavor to boot. the fish was cooked beautifully with a hint of smokiness from the grill. again, a case of dish envy and although ryan was willing to exchange his dish with mine, i couldn't bring myself to do it even though i was really tempted to. one complain was that the dish was too small.

eleven | juban's veal chop oscar

this is a very late addition to the list since i only had this just last week during my vacation in louisiana. ryan's sister, meagan made reservations for us at this fine dining restaurant for our christmas present. huge love for this dish - tender and succulent veal rib chop (veal is lean so getting it done right requires precision) resting atop earthy truffled potato mash, topped with sweet and fresh louisiana lump crab. the bearnaise and the glace de veau completes this well thought out and delicious dish. i was smiling with every bite because it was so very good. yummy! await an entry on juban's in the very near future.

there you have it :: eleven dishes that topped my tasted, eaten & loved list. i'd say it was a pretty delicious year last year and i look forward to what food 2012 will bring. ^^

more entries very soon - probably updating you what i've been up to in the month of december in terms of cooking :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

frontera grill

2011-12-14T13:19:00.000-06:00

this was a long time coming.

after trying rick bayless' mexican street food offerings at xoco and anticipating for many years (this restaurant was the the first to make it onto my wishlist), i was very excited about the dinner reservation at frontera grill on saturday of thanksgiving weekend. (i made reservations 2 months in advance and that only secured me a table for two at 5:45pm). in fact, frontera grill is the first restaurant rick bayless opened when he first moved to the windy city in 1987.

the weather on saturday evening was pretty crappy but i was determined not to let that dampen my spirits. we entered the restaurant and was greeted by a lively atmosphere - just like how you'd imagine a mexican restaurant to be.

both tapolobampo and frontera grill share the same entrance so don't be confused like we were when we were trying to figure out if we were at the right place.

the interior were clad in bright colors of yellow and red, adorned in several colorful art pieces and paintings. this theme was actually carried through to their menu and its food.

they started us out with a bowl of mixed nuts spiced with mexican flair.

there were just so many things to try but we started out with a couple of drinks.

seasonal cocktails :: holiday margarita | cazadores blanco tequila . fresh-squeezed orange juice . crimson prickly pear . aperol st. elizabeth allspice dram. ($12)

ryan loved this drink so much that he ordered a second one. he commented that there is one element of the drink that just kept him coming back for more - he guessed it might have been the prickly pear.

soft drinks :: scarlet wave | fresh limeade floating with 'jamaica flower' tea. peychaud bitters (on the rocks or shaken at the table) ($3.50)

LOVED it! jamaica flower is really hibiscus tea so the drink had a sexy tinge of red. the limeade was tart which was balanced out by the sweetness of the hibiscus tea. yums! and they frosted the rim of the glass with hibiscus sugar for a more hibiscus floral punch. even ryan thought this was an excellent drink.

appetizer :: trio, trio, trio | sampling of ceviche fronterizo, ceviche yucateco & coctel de atun tropical ($18.50)

so basically a ceviche trio. perfect for the indecisive and for those who likes varieties (both in my case)

o1 ceviche fronterizo | lime-marinated hawaiian albacore with tomatoes, cilantro & green chile

o2 ceviche yucateco | steamed mexican blue shrimp & calamari, lime, orange, habanero, avocado, jicama & cilantro

o3 coctel de atun tropical | sashimi-grade hawaiian yellowfin tuna, avocado-tomatillo guacamole, tangy papaya salsa.

i really enjoyed the three offerings on this plate with fresh tortilla chips which was crispy but not greasy as the perfect vehicle for textural difference. the first one had the fish gently cooked by the acidity of the lime and more of a reflection of the classic ceviche. ryan guessed that my favorite was probably the second one... i have to admit he knows me too well - the yucateco has shrimp that is cooked perfectly which its natural sweetness coupled well with the tangy and the lil rich creaminess from the avocado. the third one has a different flavor profile than its two other counterparts - it had less of a lime citrus tartness. the sweetness from papaya and the guacamole just paired beautifully with the fresh tuna. a great way to start.

specialties :: carne asada a la oaxaquena | creekstone natural black angus rib steak (marinated in spicy red chile & wood grilled). black beans, sweet plantains with sour cream, guacamole ($29.50)

if you've read my blog often enough, you'd probably know that black beans is really not my thing. so we asked for the black beans to be served on the side/separately which our server was very nice to accommodate our request. lovely grilled marks on the meat with grilled caramelized plantains dressed with sour cream and a sprinkle of queso fresco (i think). medium rare is the only way to go which they nailed perfectly.

this steak was featured in the first 'best thing i ever ate: filled with envy' and i was convinced i needed to try this. this steak is marinated in the spicy chile marinade, grilled, then here's the interesting part. the chef would take that semi grilled meat and dip it in the marinade again and then returned to the grill to cook it to desired done-ness. i thought it was tasty hunk of meat with mild flavors but seasoned well and goes perfectly with the sweetness of the plantain as well as the creaminess and tangyness of the sour cream and guacamole.

daily & seasonal specials :: costillas enchipotladas | chipotle-glazed gunthrop farm pork back ribs. tangy cabbage . black beans ($24)

+1 to our server who recommended this daily special of delicious smoky, slightly spicy and meaty succulent ribs! literally finger licking good. i love the spicy and smoky chipotle mingling with the sweet flavor of the sauce all smothered and coated tender ribs made this a match made in heaven :) now, for ryan, steak always tops his favorite meat list but this was so delicious that he prefers this to the carne asada to which i responded in disbelief. i almost had to pry this dish away from him. lol.

our server explained that this was one of the more popular dishes at frontera grill and had a lot of patrons asking why they don't offer it on the regular menu. one bite and i understood why. one downside on the plate was the tangy cabbage slaw which i thought was negligible and ryan felt that it was just thrown together without much thought (in retrospect, i concur). in fact, they could have probably gotten away with just serving the ribs and we would both be happy eaters.

we weren't planning on getting a dessert but when we overheard the other table ordering dessert - we were tempted...

dessert :: tartaleta de chocolate, maracuya y mezcal | gooey dark chocolate-passion fruit tart (oaxacan chocolate-almond crust), pomegranate-mezcal ice cream, tangy passion fruit gelatinas ($9)

unlike the rest of our meal, the dessert was just okay. they weren't kidding when they described the passion fruit gelatinas as tangy cos ryan snickered at my puckered face when i popped one in my mouth. (> ~ <") the tart itself had a bitter undertone and texturally pleasant from the crust to the filling. the best part was probably the ice cream which i enjoyed very much so. oh and the flowers (which were marigolds) were more than just garnishes ~ it actually paired well with the rest of the components in the dish.

i think the whole dinner experience was elevated by the ever friendly and knowledgeable server we had. he even went back to the kitchen and asked about the flowers on the dessert just because i was curious.

frontera grill has definitely lived up to my expectations with their contemporary twists to mexican classics. it has layers and depths of flavors you'd expect of rick bayless's creations. i say plan a couple of months ahead and make reservations (yes, they take reservations now and you won't have to wait for hours) - it's worth it.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

cupcakes for courage

2011-12-09T14:14:00.000-06:00

since i am already on the topic of cupcakes.. ^^

there has been a surge of cupcake trucks since last year which at one time had been a novelty for me, has got me saying, 'what? another cupcake truck?' however, good thing cupcakes for courage has such an interesting name - enough to perk my interest in their cupcakes and their concept.

cupcakes for courage comes in this bright green truck and i first crossed path with this truck on my way to get my daily fix of caffeine. coincidentally, my boss was craving for something sweet that day and we were talking about it that morning. so i decided to get one for her and one for myself before i could even go get my coffee (you can see i was excited and didn't quite think it through). i was struggling with two cupcakes in hand when the friendly cupcake guy said he would keep it for me while i go and get my coffee. he even joked that he would still be here when i returned and not run away with my cupcakes. hehe.

usually, i feel bad giving into my sweet cravings especially with cupcakes but it was a lil hard to feel bad about spending and adding a couple of calories for the sake of raising a cause for cancer research and the "ride jeane ride" foundation. btw, it's $3.25 per cupcake.

strawberry cupcake | moist cake baked with strawberries throughout and a light strawberry cream cheese frosting. garnished with dehydrated strawberry

the cupcake was just as delicious as it was accurately described. it was a moist cake and the cream cheese was light. there were a distinct natural strawberry flavor in its natural state - sweet and every so slightly tart at the same time which contributed to its lightness without an overwhelming sweetness. the dehydrated strawberry was a smart touch to give it that occasional difference in texture and concentrated strawberry flavor. even my boss loved it and she said it made her afternoon and it hit that sweet spot that she was craving for. i definitely liked this strawberry cupcake compared to its counterpart from sprinkles and a strong contender against the seasonal strawberry creme from my kara's which is my ultimate fav.

the triple b | black bottom banana cream pie - a tender banana cake with milk chocolate bottom filled with sweet vanilla pastry cream and topped with our famous whipped cream cheese frosting. finished with homemade pie crust crumble and shaved chocolate

it was quite a mouthful of description to the point you would think that the flavor profile was gonna be confusing or overwhelming. however, it was simply delicious. you first taste that banana flavor then suddenly the creamy vanilla pastry cream comes through with a surprise bitter chocolate undertone from the shavings. to top it off, the textural play from the pie crust crumble. when you are about to think that it was too sweet, the whipped cream cheese provide that tartness and airiness to balance it all out. basically they all worked together so well without being overly sweet. second favorite after the strawberry.

chocolate | a dark chocolate cake with fudgy chocolate frosting

i am constantly searching for a chocolate cupcake to top that ghirardelli cupcake from kara's cupcake (valhorna cupcake from more comes as a very close second contender). unfortunately, it failed to make the cut as my favorite chocolate cupcake. it tasted closer to a milk chocolate cupcake rather than the dark chocolate. the frosting was a bit too thick and it was a bit too sweet for my liking. not a favorite, unfortunately.

white chocolate raspberry | white cake filled with layers of homemade raspberry sauce and white chocolate mousse topped with vanilla swiss meringue butter cream and finished with raspberry drizzle

the cake and the frosting were good - not too sweet but it was the raspberry drizzle that makes those bites extra special. in fact, i wished there were more of the raspberry drizzle. in this case, the yummy tartness of the raspberry definitely took a backseat on this one and only whispered its presence occasionally which left us pondering if raspberry should even be in the name.

maple bacon | maple cake, dunked in maple glaze and covered with maple roasted bacon. savory, salty, sweet in every bite

when i was at the truck buying this cupcake, a couple came up to me and asked me if this was good - to which i responded i wasn't sure since i've never had it before. they thought i was rather adventurous but hey, this was very normal compared to the BLT cupcake from more. the first bite was maple-y. in fact, the whole cupcake screamed maple which is cut through by the savoriness and saltiness of the bacon bits which also gave a crunchy texture. after a few bites, i thought it was too much maple but it wasn't way too sweet. i gave the cupcake a 'not bad' vote but i think you would love it if you liked maple and bacon

oh as a bonus, cupcakes for courage has a loyalty card - after you've bought a dozen cupcakes, you get one free. so make sure you get that especially if you love their cupcakes - it's a free cupcake and surely you won't want to miss that. plus you can also keep track of how many cupcakes you've been consuming!

ooo.. just 3 away from a free cupcake :) [thank goodness this is my first card]

i'd say cupcakes for courage is able create its own loyal following even with the likes of sprinkles, more and flirty cupcakes. in fact, i think i'll go as far to say that i prefer their cupcakes over flirty cupcakes. plus, you also feel good knowing that some of the sales is going to charity while satisfying your guilty sweet baked pleasures :) what's better than that right? :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

no such thing as too much chocolate

2011-12-05T19:24:00.000-06:00

there is no such thing as too much chocolate....

.....right?

i came across this delicious dessert recipe when i was trying to use some of the baking stuff i had in my kitchen pantry. it started out with a box of chocolate fudge cake mix. in all honesty, i haven't really baked anything from scratch except for 3 occasions :: my first apple pie (which had a disastrous crust), tiramisu (i didn't bake the lady fingers, of course) and several times making the ultimate blueberry cheesecake.

so cake mixes are a great invention imo but i wanted to make it into something different and new. hence, i was very excited when i found this recipe: too much chocolate cake which i converted into cupcakes just because it's just easier for sharing.

it also required chocolate chips which i already (the mini chocolate chips type) in my pantry - perfect! but i had to go to the store for some extra ingredients: sour cream, instant chocolate pudding, eggs and cupcake liners. just when i was ready to get started with the baking it was then i realized...

.....i didn't have a cupcake pan >.< i could swear that i had one of those but couldn't find it so it was off to the store AGAIN...

i'll spare you the details and let these instagrams do the talking.

one huge thing i was worried about was cooking time. i was converting a bundt cake recipe into cupcakes so that changes the baking time ~ so i had to guess and cross my fingers, hoping for the best.

the final product came out pretty well. since i didn't have frosting planned for this first trial, i just sprinkled some powdered sugar and oddly enough it looks like the cake-y cookies i made all the time. in fact, it tasted almost like it :) moist, fluffy and definitely chocolate-y cupcake. i brought it to work to share with others and it was a huge hit with everyone. they loved it and some even asked me for the recipe ^.^

it was so good that this thanksgiving i made it for ryan's family. and this time i had a frosting in the plans. however, i was pondering long and hard what would go well with chocolate cake and if i should make frosting from scratch or just get it from the store. my mind was weighing out the possibilities ~ from peanut butter frosting to classic vanilla to cream cheese frosting. in the end, i decided on blueberry frosting which i found a really delicious recipe of from here.

blueberry in progress :)

i have to admit i messed up the frosting a tad since i have never made it from scratch before - should have creamed the butter first before adding the powdered sugar but i tried rectifying it by just adding the blueberries which ended up working out.

the pairing worked really well! ryan's sister would put a cupcake and blitz it real quick in the microwave and then add the cool frosting on top. she loved it and mentioned that the chocolate chips melts within the cake itself. i have to admit i had a few of those delectable yummy-ness over that thanksgiving weekend too >.<

if you are interested in trying this cake yourself, you can find the recipes here:

too much chocolate cake: recipe

blueberry frosting: recipe

too much chocolate cake

found on allrecipes.com (with some personal changes)

ingredients |

1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
added 1-2 tsp of instant espresso powder (to bring out the chocolate flavor more)

directions |

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
in a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water
stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula
divide the batter as evenly as possible into greased and lined cupcake pan (yields about 24 cupcakes - so 2 batches)
bake for about 20-25 minutes. always go for the lower cooking time and check with toothpick for doneness of cake. it is done if the wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.

note | i didn't follow the recipe to a 'T' and it still turned out really well ~ didn't have the right amount of instant pudding mix and chocolate chips. for my first try, i used the chocolate fudge cake mix and this second time, i used the devil's food cake mix - i actually prefer the former better.

blueberry frosting

found on shazam in the kitchen blog

ingredients |

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries

directions |

simmer the blueberries on the stove until most of the berries burst and release their liquids
mash gently with a wooden spoon and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cold
cream the butter until smooth and then gradually add the powdered sugar
add vanilla extract and the chilled blueberries and continue mixing until it is mixed well

blogger's note | you can also use fresh blueberries if desired but you may want to adjust the amount of powdered sugar added, depending on the liquid derived from the berries to ensure a spreadable consistency.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

kimchi fried rice

2011-12-02T12:13:00.000-06:00

this past thanksgiving weekend was really just an excuse to eat. a HUGE excuse at that.. i believe i put on some pounds this weekend which i am dreading to try to lose cos it's just so much harder to lose for me than to gain weight >.< (these are the times when i envy ppl with high metabolism..

....wait.. what am i saying?... i always envy those who can eat a ton and not gain a single ounce)

some of my delicious food excursions besides the huge thanksgiving lunch/dinner include dinner at hopleaf and long-overdue frontera grill (await these posts after i catch up with some old ones), publican brunch and my much anticipated visit to hmart for korean groceries, poggi kimchi and korean food - spicy pork stir fry {돼지 불고기}.

i think one of the best kimchi-s i've had is the poggi kimchi freshly made at hmart. enough heat to give it a nice kick but does not linger coupled with enough vinegar flavor. they used to sell half packs which was the ideal size but then they've stopped and a full pound bag was almost always too much for us.

we went up to the counter and got us a bag of deliciousness when the guys who were making the kimchi stopped us and pointed at the sign above them.

it said 'buy one, get one free'

they insisted we took another. i paused - one bag was already quite a lot of kimchi. what more if i brought home two?

i was torn - that kimchi is so uber awesome but gosh that was a GIGANTIC amount of kimchi! after a couple seconds pondering, i gave in and took the second bag since i could just give it to some other kimchi lover friends or devise ways to use it.

or i could eat a lot of kimchi everyday.

either ways, i will find a way to have it work out! >.<

if you didn't know, kimchi is really good for you! not kidding! plus, it tastes really good ^^ (okay..maybe it's an acquired taste for some) read here to find out more :)

hence, i started searching for some korean food recipes. i've always craved for them ~ so why not try to make some myself? with that in mind, i stocked up on a lot of what i think are korean basic ingredients to have in the kitchen pantry (perhaps a future entry about that very soon ^^ )

my first korean recipe tried: kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}.

i found the recipe online and i wanted to get one as authentic as i can get. i was surprised when i read SPAM as one of the ingredients that i had to ask my korean friend, S if that was normal. his response ~ SPAM is the only way to go! >.< that was quite unexpected actually.

verdict i've never had korean fried rice from any korean restaurants so this was really my first time having it. i liked it ~ salty from the spam, savory and slightly vinegar-y from the kimchi - of course the distinct flavor comes from the kimchi you use. ryan liked it too and christina thought it was pretty good. it's easy to make with minimal effort and time (as well as ingredients, assuming you have a korean pantry). and definitely a good way to use up some of the kimchi in hand :)

if you are interested in trying or have too much kimchi in your fridge, i found the recipe from eat your bap blog:

kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}

found on eatyourbap.com

ingredients |

2 to 2.5 cups of over-ripened kimchi, cut small
3 bowls of day old rice
half a regular-sized can of SPAM, diced
1 to 2 tbs korean pepper paste {gochujang :: 고추장}
1 to 2 tbs juice from the kimchi jar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce (optional if you like it salty)
fried egg (sunny side up ~ optional)
toasted sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
dried seaweed strips {gim} (optional as garnish)

directions |

fry the egg first and set aside
over medium high heat, saute the SPAM in the same large skillet until browned ~ about 3 to 4 minutes (i prefer mine with a bit of char so i do it longer)
push the SPAM to a corner of the pan, and add the kimchi with its juices and gochujang. saute until softened for another few more minutes.
mix together with the SPAM
lower the temperature to low and then add rice. mix thoroughly ensuring there aren't white spots with a rice paddle or wooden spoon.
add a drizzle of sesame oil and soy sauce (be sparse since SPAM itself is quite salty - make sure you do the taste test before adding anything)
taste for spiciness and adjust to your preference

there are a couple more korean recipes coming up with kimchi and some without that i am planning to try so stay tuned :) got me some pork belly ~ so it might be stir fry pork belly or kimchi jiggae.. can't wait.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

the press bistro

2011-11-30T09:24:00.000-06:00

i wanted to explore other food scenes in california closer to sacramento because we can't always drive two hours to san francisco to try out new restaurants. hence, i expanded my search around downtown sacramento area and found the press bistro. it looked promising and i made a reservation weeks in advance.

doing what i usually do, my camera in hand and as ryan was confirming our reservation, i was taking some pictures of the restaurant. unexpectedly, the maitre'd asked if i was from the new york times. suprisingly, i felt a bit annoyed cos the first thought that came to mind was: is she mocking me? (yes, i'm slightly hypersensitive... i apologize) - well for one, if i was a food writer for a publication, i wouldn't be telling her, would i? don't most food writers remain anonymous to review a restaurant? ryan couldn't quite understand why i felt irritated.

anywho, i did like the modern yet rustic decor that gave a cozy ambience to the restaurant. i also liked the ceiling high glass doors and windows as well as the outdoor seating, perfect for the summer weather.

ryan was super excited to see the potato gnocchi on the menu and was quite set on ordering that for appetizer only to be disappointed that they have just run out of it. he was pretty upset and took several minutes to get over the fact they didn't have any (he was really craving for some).

tapas :: roasted beets | goat cheese ($4)

i've always liked roasted beets and the classic pairing with goat cheese - in fact that's how i first fell in love with beets when i had it at purple pig. this dish was pale in comparison. i was missing the natural sweetness of the beets and it was a tad too salty. on top of that, the olive oil overpowered the beets and it lacked the balance.

appetizer :: grilled calamari | cherry tomatoes . panzanella salad ($8)

this was simple and fresh, executed with precision. i was impressed by the simplicity of this dish but yet so outstanding. call me bias - i do love seafood a lot. the calamari was grilled to perfection - smoky with distinct grilled marks on the outside yet soft and tender, just almost undercooked but in a good way. lovely. it was lightly dressed with freshness of lemon juice accompanied with some chunks of bread and fresh produce easily emerged as my favorite of the night.

entree :: braised short rib | red wine sauce . mashed potatoes ($18)

when i fork into the piece of short rib, it looked promisingly tender - so i was quite surprised that it was not as melt-in-your-mouth as i imagined it would be. it was a little dry which was quite the bummer but it was compensated by the smooth mashed potatoes and the delectable sauce was simply hearty and delicious. i was craving for more of the sauce since it was vital in the dish to moisten the meat.

entree :: grilled hanger steak | potato gratin . bordelaise ($20)

ryan had more luck with his choice of entree. medium rare steak just like he requested and it was seasoned, seared well and tender. the thing we had problem with was the potato gratin. i was fine with the bite of the potato slices but ryan preferred it to be cooked down a little more. however, we both agreed that it was lacking cheese in between the layers and i was hoping for a crisper topping.

we actually passed on dessert since we couldn't agree on one dessert and ended up picking up some ciao bella pistachio gelato from the store on the way back to his apartment.

one thing ryan said about the food at the press bistro that i thought was interesting was that he felt most of the dishes we tried, we could have probably make it at home ourselves. of course, i understand that relied heavily on what we ordered.

i suppose that could have been meant in a good or bad way - on the positive end, the food gave the comfort what homemade food usually offers. on the other side of the spectrum, the food wasn't all that inspiring. in general, i somewhat agree that while the food was hearty and good, nothing really stood out. well, okay.. that's not entirely true. the wonderful rendition of grilled calamari struck as the special exception.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

edzo's burger shop

2011-11-28T19:40:00.000-06:00

i was residing in evanston for about 5-6 years before moving to chicago a year and a half ago and i'm ashamed to say i've never had edzo's burger shop which a lot of people and friends swear by as the best burger place they've had. well, that was true until a few months ago, when i've finally made my way to evanston to try this place out myself. even the chicago reader critics agree when they awarded edzo's burger shop as best new burger for their charburger.

a beautiful saturday afternoon, i met up with christina (her favorite burger place - she would go so far to say that it even tops kuma's burger) and lyle around noon and the place already had a line almost out of the door. the first comment when i saw the place was "whoah, this is really like an original american diner" which i thought was really cool. edzo's is the creation of eddie lakin, a former fine dining chef who promises all-american beef burgers, never frozen and is freshly ground in house daily.

while waiting in line, you've got some time to figure out what kind of burger you would like to try. christina recommended griddled burger which is served between a brioche bun and all i had to do was to choose the topping. eddie lakin was at the counter taking order and he was really friendly. it took me more than a couple of minutes going back and forth with different ideas until i finally went ahead with the idea of a mushroom swiss - so i ordered a single griddled burger with mushrooms and swiss burger. the single is at $3.59 while additional cheese is $0.75 and the other toppings are either $0.50 or $1. to complete my whole american diner experience, i ordered a bottle of coke (although i guess milkshakes would have been the traditional pairing but oh! the calories -.-)

the burger itself was delicious - a bit of char from the griddle and you could really taste the moist well seasoned meat while the brioche captures its juices.i have to say that i made a great choice with mushrooms and swiss cheese and didn't even need any ketchup or mustard. needless to say, it was a burger done right in all its essence with freshest ingredients. it was a tad messy to eat but sooooo worth it - all you need is just a couple extra napkins..

speaking of milkshakes, christina ordered the almond milkshake which she kindly offers to me to try. the milkshake itself had a thick, smooth, creamy texture with occasional bits of almonds with huge almond flavor all around - in a good way. i was kinda like a small kid in a candy store as i watched the person make the milkshake at the machine which i thought was so cool. similarly, you could also watch the cooks make your burger at the counter if you wanted to. :)

of course, burger meals feels incomplete without fries. edzo's serves only twice fried, hand cut fries in many different ways. christina ordered "old fries" ($3.29) to share which are extra brown and extra crunchy. she mentioned that this was the only one she really like because the fries are crunchy unlike a few of the other renditions she's tried here. they were what they promised - fresh and crispy and was salted just enough. one of the better fries i've had here in chicago.

my experience at edzo's somewhat reminded me of my fond memories at hot doug's. there are a few similarities between hot doug's and edzo's - you get to meet the friendly owners as you order your food at the counter, both adopting the diner concept (although one takes on more of a traditional decor) but most importantly, they are awesome at what they do - dishing out amazing food. not only edzo's does the burger perfectly, it comes with the whole american diner ambience as a plus :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

espresso + chocolate chip meringue

2011-11-11T10:09:00.001-06:00

two reasons |

one. friend, M's phd defense yesterday. i told him i was gonna make him something - gotta keep my promise :)

two. my other friend, J can't have any gluten and thought that perhaps i could kill two birds with one stone

solution | dessert of choice :: espresso chocolate chip meringues by giada de laurentiis.

i'll spare you the details and post photos instead. i've made this twice before -

first time: turn out mostly alright.
second: slightly ~~burnt~~ ~~scorched~~ toasty.

perhaps my third time's the charm.

(you can tell i am not quite the baker...i'm still working on it!)

a couple of great tips that i found either from watching food network or taking from people's experience:

o1| keep the bowl and whisk attachment chilled - could help a lil bit with the stiffening of the egg whites

o2| eggs must be room temperature. very good to plan ahead.

o3| try to make it on a day when the air isn't too humid. i've seen deflated meringues when there are too much moisture in the air which also means your utensils you use should be clean AND dry.

some other great tips can be found on this article on making the perfect meringue.

a few things i did differently from giada's recipe:

i divided the meringues as evenly (~2 tablespoons) as i could - it is supposed to yield 12 of these. i also shorten the cooking time to about 40 minutes (since my last attempt was slightly overcooked) and checked it periodically. and i used a hand mixer since i do not yet own my dream kitchen aid mixer... you know that lil pretty red thing? dang, i really want one of those!

favorite parts of the baking were when i mixed the espresso into the mixture - loved the smell of the coffee (if you like coffee, of course) and the tasting...

...well, i gotta make sure it turned out good right? :D

this batch was the best of the three attempts i've made so far. still got a long ways to go but very happy with how they turned out. i think i need to beat the egg whites a tad longer because it wasn't quite where i would have liked it to be. but it was definitely airy and quite a fun dessert to eat texturally. crispy shell with moist chewy inside. :)

you can find the recipe here if you would like to try to make them:

espresso chip meringues

by giada de laurentiis

found on foodnetwork.com

ingredients |

3 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch fine sea salt
3/4 cup superfine baker's sugar (available at specialty cooking stores)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

directions |

place an oven rack in the center of the oven. preheat the oven to 300
line a baking sheet with parchment paper. set aside
in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt until frothy, about 1 minute
with the machine on medium-high speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1 tbs at a time
add the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and espresso powder
increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and hold stiff peaks, about 3-5 minutes
using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips
drop 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart
bake for 30 minutes. rotate the pan and bake for another 30 minutes
turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely while still in the oven, about 2 hours

giada's note | the meringue mixture can also be placed in a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain tip (recommended: ateco #9808) and piped onto the baking sheet.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

incanto

2011-11-09T23:34:00.001-06:00

google 'incanto in english' and this would be what you would find:

charm or enchantment may be an english equivalent of 'incanto'. the word in italian is a masculine gender noun that takes as its definite article 'il'['the'] and as its indefinite article 'uno' ['a,one']
-wikianswer.com

what a suitable name for chris consentino's italian restaurant in noe valley, san francisco. i was on my food network chef restaurant hunt in san francisco, beginning with wayfare tavern planned for lunch and then incanto for dinner. i first watched chris consentino on a food network show called 'chefs vs city' where he paired with aaron sanchez to compete with local foodies/chefs in various US cities. i've also seen him on the 'best thing i ever ate' several where i've also tried two of his recommendations - the maple glazed bacon apple donut from dynamo donut and the chorizo-stuffed dates from avec, both of which i enjoyed tremendously.

a chef who can recommend such awesome food, i was convinced that his food would be equally amazing. chris consentino also had a hand at creating boccalone in the ferry building where you can find various good quality salumi, a place i would always return to whenever i visit sf for their salumi cone. <3 i was also secretly hoping that i could come across the chef himself while dining at his restaurant. (and no, didn't see him either)

the restaurant boasts its italian heritage in its tasteful decor as well as chef's love for all things pork with some mock up of cooking utensils displayed above the stretch of glass doors lining the front of the restaurant. there was a bar to the left as you enter the dining space with a display of boccalone salumi on the front.

i hate to admit it but the service here started out shaky and it wasn't a good way to start because i have such high expectations for this place and that set the tone for the whole evening. it was slow and it took more than a few minutes before our server came by to take our order. i understand that the place was bustling and busy but they should be prepared for such a situation especially a reputable restaurant of great caliber such as incanto. it gradually improved over the night but we both agreed it was slow and the food came out with extended pauses in between. (/end rant)

they started us out with a bread basket and olive tapenade. that bread was soft and lovely and the olive flavor came through quite prominently in a good way if you like olives. :)

if you ever came by to try incanto, it's a good idea to check what their specials are for the night before looking at their regular menu. we actually ended up ordering two dishes from their specials menu.

appetizer (specials) :: clams | cherry tomatoes . pickled chilli . country ham brodo ($13)

hands down: best dish of the night. when we looked at the list of ingredients, we formed an idea how this was going to be prepared. but we were pleasantly surprised when we saw the dish served at our table. the fresh clams were nestled comfortably within the visibly different types of cherry tomatoes and the pickled chilli which gave a burst of bright colors, all swimming in this savory and excellent broth.

the cherry tomatoes were roasted through but intact. biting into each tomatoes with a fresh clam in a spoonful of the smoky broth gives you a burst of fresh tartness and sweetness tomato essences while savoring all the other flavors. this is a wonderful rendition of clam dish with the freshest ingredients. love it. in fact, even though we said no more bread because we wanted to save room for the rest of the meal, but we went ahead ate the rest of the bread to sop up all the goodness. LOVE!

pasta (specials) :: sweetbread ravioli | capers . lemon . parsley ($11)

this was a half order from the specials menu. we were going to order their signature ragu dish but then i saw sweetbread ravioli which i wanted to try very much since i've never had sweetbread before. everyone raves about sweetbread and i wanted to see what the hype is all about.

sadly, we were both a tad disappointed after such an outstanding showing of the clams. there wasn't any textural difference but overall the dish was an underwhelming display of flavor combination. i loved the fresh pasta that was cooked just right - soft but still had a bite to it - but the filling was just okay and ryan thought it could have easily been something else. i thought perhaps some lemon zest would have given a surprise pop of freshness that the dish was missing although the capers was actually a great touch. maybe my next sweetbread experience would have me jumping off my chair, just not in a ravioli which was muted by everything else.

entree :: duck breast | corn . figs. hazelnuts ($26)

duck breast and figs just sounded awesome and plus i wanted to try fresh figs for the first time (i know there are a lot of firsts at this restaurant) which i loveee! the duck breast had awesome crispy skin but the meat was borderline dry and needed a touch more salt. the corn and the figs were amazing and they both gave the game-y meat the softness and moistness to make up for it. the two streaks of sauce/pesto provided layers of great flavors as accompaniment. it was a good dish but wasn't amazing.

dessert :: milk-chocolate espresso budino ($8.50)

we ended on a high note with this selection because i loved this dessert. it was a rich creamy pudding, chocolate-y but with a bitter undertone from the espresso. the smoothness of the pudding is contrasted by the crunch of cookie crumbles and chocolate pieces which amplified the flavors even more. to top it off, there is the light whipped cream to make the dessert a little airy. this hit the right sweet note :)

incanto displayed a flash of brilliance in a few dishes that we tried. i have to say my dining experience was more of a rollercoaster ride, with a couple of highs and lows but i would like to return sometime in the future to try some of the other signature dishes they have to offer namely the leg of beast and their ragu.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

wayfare tavern

2011-11-02T17:50:00.000-05:00

besides chicago, san francisco is the other foodie haven that i seek out in trying new restaurants since i frequent california every couple of months to visit ryan in folsom. it is a two hour drive from folsom to one of my favorite US cities that that is spoiled for choice in terms of delectable cuisine (and of course fresh seafood) and just perfect weather most of the time.

my last trip to san francisco involved visiting two of food network celebrity chefs' restaurants - one of which was for lunch at chef tyler florence's wayfare tavern that features authentic american dishes inspired by local cuisine. i like tyler florence and his food network show: tyler's ultimate because of the feeling of simple cozy comfort his food seems to offer.. in fact, my favorite cheesecake is his ultimate cheesecake recipe which is totally a keeper. you can imagine how much i was looking forward to trip.

it took us a while to locate the place but when we found it, it instantly put a smile on my face and (embarrassingly so but) a hop in my step. we were a tad late for our reservation since we were caught in the crazy traffic driving towards san francisco but the friendly staff was accommodating when we called to push our reservation time about half hour later. just as the exterior suggests, the interior's decor reflected a modern yet vintage feel, painted in darker hues yet cozy but with tasteful accents of art pieces around the room. just exactly how i would imagine the restaurant should be. i loved it. and they have a special dining room in the back where it feels like you were dining at someone's dining room.

i am not gonna lie. i was hoping to see tyler florence while i was dining, the whole time i was looking around just in case he was walking around his restaurant.. lol

they started us out with popovers with butter. i loved that they were crispy outside hiding the pleasant surprise of airiness and flaky butteriness with a hint of sweetness inside - so satisfying. it was so good that when our server asked if i wanted another i had to think twice before i declined, although not very convincingly..

however, before i was even finished with the one i had, i found myself sorta looking at one of the staffs - well, more like staring at the basketful of popovers he was carrying. he noticed, paused in his track and before he could ask, ryan said "oh, can she get another?" (oh, but ryan didn't ask for a second one for himself >.<) i thanked him bashfully but in reality, i wanted to hide my face inside the airy popover. there wasn't anything wrong with it - just that i felt like a pig since we ordered so much food and on top of that, two popovers?!

starters :: rabbit terrine | pickles . preserves . mustards . toast ($15)

neither of us had terrine before so we had to ask our server what it was. she explained that some parts of rabbit were coarsely chopped and mixed together to form into a meatloaf (similar to pate) and sliced. we were thinking, 'what the heck, let's be adventurous and try it.' it was actually pretty good with a mix of different textures throughout and a slight gamey flavor. i am okay with the dish as long as i don't know which parts of the rabbit were in it. the toast that came with was delish - it was crispy and buttery providing the great contrast to the soft terrine. the preserves complimented the terrine beautifully with the sweet and savory notes.

entrees :: steak frites | santa maria tri-tip . truffle butter . watercress . french fried potatoes ($27)

it was a huge serving which wasn't quite what i expected since most of restaurants i've been offer smaller portions of food. the first thing that caught my eye was the fries which were mostly crispy and salty goodness. we asked the steak to be cooked to medium (although medium rare would have been what ryan would have gone for but that is a tad too raw for me) which was executed perfectly but the meat was still a tad chewy and tough. so it was probably just the cut of meat that we had. i was searching for the truffle butter which was soooo good (even for dipping the fries in) and wished there was more of that.

but imagine a bite of steak with the meat jus with some of the truffle permeated through it and the natural sweetness of grilled onions that has a slight char/smoky flavor - yummmmm! the only drawback was the texture of the meat because we were expecting more of a melt in your mouth buttery texture (tri-tip does not have that in general) but it had the great beef flavor you are looking for.

entrees :: lobster cobb | crisp romaine . soft boiled jidori eggs. tomato . smoked bacon . avocado . fresh corn . beets . radishes ($24)

ryan usually wouldn't even consider salad as an entree but since we ordered two other meaty dishes, i suggested something lighter like a salad just for variety. that and because i could not resist any kind of seafood.. like lobster.. haha. it may seem like a lot of different ingredients in the cobb salad including the usual suspects as well as corn, beets and radishes but each of them vital in creating that perfect balance of flavors in each bite. it was very lightly dressed in a creamy dressing.

so you can get the creamy from the avocado then the sweetness and freshness from lobster, corn, tomatoes & beets, crispness of the lettuce. the one that stole the show was the crunchy bacon bites - almost like lardons. these were so addictive. i love that it was light but at the same time heavy in a nice satisfying way where different textures and flavors come to play. similar to the other entree, the serving was huge but it was probably my favorite dish there that i could not stop eating even when stuffed.

oh, if you were wondering about the extra popover, i actually didn't eat it since i was stuffed but i was too shy to take it to go. even though he was stuffed, ryan decided to gobble it up because it was too good to waste! BAH! so he did end up asking for that second popover for himself! indirectly and unknowingly but nonetheless for himself! lol.

after the meal, we were both filled with a satisfying feeling - although for me it was more like overstuffed satisfaction. wayfare tavern is the epitome of traditional american cuisine brought up a notch with sophisticated twists but not missing the same comfort you get from the classics; huge portions served in a cozy setting. oh and they have wicked toasts/popovers!

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

yumm...chorizo-stuffed dates

2011-10-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

if i had to name one of the best things i've had, it would probably these little bites of awesomeness hiding a huge burst of flavor: chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce from avec. they are such winners. in fact, the most memorable part of my dinner experience at avec was these babies. it's true when they say great things come in small packages. :)

as luck would have it, i found the recipe on timeout chicago and i was ecstatic. but it was only months after that i decided on making these since i found medjool dates while i was shopping at trader joes and because i loved these yummy bites!

initially, when i searching for all the required ingredients, i thought the biggest challenge would be finding spanish chorizo which is not as readily available as its mexican counterpart. however, koren grieveson, avec's chef de cuisine mentioned of a deli in chicago where i could buy the much needed spanish chorizo but i was too lazy to make the trip out there (although it really isn't too far now that i've checked the location). hence, i opted plan b which she also provided a substitution by blending a bit of smoked paprika into a basic fresh pork sausage, about 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.

so off i went to fox&obel to try my luck to find some spanish chorizo and some other ingredients. lo and behold! they had a few selections of cured spanish chorizo at the deli counter from which i chose two to try out for the recipe - just to compare.. whee! since i was already at the store, i proceeded to the meat counter and bought some lightly spiced fresh breakfast sausage and some slices of smoked bacon (although the recipe asked for regular bacon). well, the recipe did ask to use good quality ingredients.

one ingredient that i didn't expect having difficulty finding was piquillo peppers. it just so happens that fox&obel just ran out of inventory, so i tried a few more stores around my apartment but to no avail. next best thing: jarred roasted red peppers as substitution which can be easily found in the italian section in any regular grocery stores.

with all the ingredients in hand, time to get into making these. oh, if you are pressed for time, you could trying finding pitted dates which would eliminate one extra step. but once i had the dates pitted, i stuffed them with the two different chorizo and the pork sausage which i removed its casing and added smoked paprika, wrapped them in bacon and placed them on a baking sheet to bake them at 350F for 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

as those lil parcels of flavor were baking, i started on the sauce. for good quality tomatoes, i turned to san marzano tomatoes and added the roasted red pepper with some of the juice (not too much though cos it's a ton of vinegar) and then blended them in the blender (which i have to say have been collecting dust). i adjusted the seasoning based on personal preference at this point.

once the dates are cooked through, it needs to be broiled for a couple minutes to crisp up the bacon and then arrange the dates on sauce and it's ready to be served.

verdict mmm yummy! it had a smoky richness but with the sweetness from the dates and the tartnesss of the sauce to cut through that. even though it wasn't as delicious as the one from avec (still good tasting though!) but i was proud of my own hard work. the best stuffer of the three was the pork sausage blended with the smoked paprika. ~~i suspect that i might have gotten the wrong version of spanish chorizo - this recipe probably requires uncooked spanish chorizo and not the cured, dried ones that has the consistency of salami.~~ re-reading the recipe, it does say spanish-style chorizo sausage and not spanish chorizo as well as the step where i have to check the meat being cooked through which means probably my initial suspicion is right (yeah, i know i should have figured that out when i was cooking but i've already gotten the ingredients!) - uncooked sausage to stuff into those dates. i guess that when i think of spanish chorizo, i think of the smoked, cured and dried types.

room for improvement for sure: a few things such as striking the right balance of date and meat since i thought the dates might have overpowered these bite size treats. and finding the right chorizo sausage to stuff it with. if chorizo is not your cup of tea, another classic pairing is stuffing the dates with goat cheese.

i would conclude that this cooking experiment as successful! i can't wait to make this again when ryan comes to visit. or maybe for thanksgiving.. just need to search for these medjool dates again! :)

if you are searching for the recipe, you can find it here:

chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper - tomato sauce
by avec's koren grieveson
found on time out chicago website

ingredients |

2 lbs medjool dates
1 lb spanish-style chorizo sausage
1 pkg (12 strips) good-quality bacon
2 jars piquillo peppers (most jars are around 7.6 ounces)
1 14.5-oz can good-quality tomatoes
salt to taste

directions |

preheat the oven to 350 degrees
using a paring knife, make a small slit in each of the dates, then push out the pit
slice the bacon strips in half crosswise to create two pieces out of each strip
wrap each date with one of the half-slice segment of bacon
place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes
once the chorizo has cooked through (you can slice a date in half to test), crank up the temperature to broil and transfer the tray to the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the bacon, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn
while the dates are baking, make the sauce. add the peppers and the tomatoes together in a medium saucepan and cook slowly over medium-low heat for the entire time the dates bake
season with salt to taste, then puree the sauce until almost smooth but still with some body; think thin salsa texture. (a handheld immersion blender works great but a countertop blender is fine)
once the bacon is crispy, divide the sauce among six plates and top with four dates each

tip you can read more about tips on the link i provided above.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experiece and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

the publican brunch

2011-10-24T17:42:00.001-05:00

i've been to the publican once before for dinner which i enjoyed tremendously and praised about it for the next few days. my first time at publican was probably the first restaurant i've been with the concept of communal table. i was intrigued by their waiting tables which i thought was a awesome idea but what impressed me was their delicious food and great selection of beers. so i returned with great expectation for an end-of-summer brunch with xy. he has never been but i've been raving about this restaurant to him.

the publican is part of paul kahan's great chicago food empire that also boasts of blackbird, avec and big star. its decor is interesting - there are several artsy paintings of pigs adorning the walls.. most of my friends think they are ugly but i think they have their own uniqueness which gives the space character. the atmosphere feels like a english tavern with an old school feel.

there wasn't much of a wait since i made reservations. i was hoping that there were mussels appetizer on their brunch menu which in that case, i would have to work my persuasion skills on xy to share it with me but sadly no mussels! we both started out with freshly squeezed orange juice ($3) which was fresh (as promised...hehe) by the way. while we were waiting on our food, we were people watching - actually more like food watching just to assess what everyone else ordered.

biscuit and chorizo gravy | fried egg . fried oyster . braised kale ($15)

i have to admit - i've never had biscuits & gravy as a meal before. i guess i've had biscuits and gravy separately but never together but i think that's different. i expected a flaky biscuit but it turned out crumbly which is traditionally the way it should be so it could absorb more of the gravy. the fried oysters were fresh - kinda creamy inside encased in a crunchy outside, just like it should be. the gravy was delicious with big chunks of spicy chorizo where its richness is enhanced by the runny yolk of the fried egg. the braised kale which was very flavorful (traditional southern flavor) was probably my favorite part of the dish after the fried oysters because it gives a grounding point amidstall the richness.

all the flavors were great and combined beautifully but halfway through my meal, it gradually became too heavy and rich with each bite that i had to stop (much to my disappointment, because i did like my dish).

chicken fried steak | sunny side up eggs . cherry tomatoes . tomatillo salsa ($16)

xy's choice for brunch. it looked delicious but i didn't have a taste. however, xy did say he thought it was yummy and the fried steak was crispy and moist in the inside. and he also mentioned that the salsa went really well with the dish. after that brunch, he concurred he would return to publican for a second time.

the publican has met my expectation at brunch which i've enjoyed almost as much as my first dinner experience here. it's definitely a great restaurant that i would vote as one of my favorites in chicago. when i think of publican, i think of rich, hearty meals done with precision. and of course, those yummy mussels. :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

revolution brewing co.

2011-10-13T23:30:00.002-05:00

p.s. so... i wrote almost a full blog entry last week about paul kahan's big star and realized i don't have all the photos i needed :( i accidentally deleted it off my camera without checking if they were saved on my computer. so that post has to wait until my next visit to big star again :p so i had to recompose a whole new entry. #excuseforlateupdate

p.p.s. i've been slacking with updates since i was caught up with my new interests : k-pop (more specifically suju) and learning korean. but i will be working on updating my blog more often. 미안합니다 (mianhamnida - sorry in korean) #realexcuseforlateupdate

anywho, i digress way too much.

i haven't seen my friend for the longest time and planned a summer lunch (yeah i am playing catch up now) with him to catch up just a bit and decided to try out revolution brewing co located in logan square. revolution brewing company a gastrotavern that brews their own beer of up to 35 different styles throughout the year and also dish out interesting intepretation of american classic fare.

i thought the decor was interesting - in a good way. i loved the way the summer sun was streaming in through the ceiling high windows and the atmosphere was loud and crowded (which is a good sign) - what you would expect from a gastrotavern/brewery.

we started our dining experience with our server spilling my friend's glass of water but she handled it rather apologetically and offered a free drink for my friend which more than made up for it.

the biggest intriguing item on their menu was their bacon popcorn. of course i had to try it - regardless how much food we ended up ordering. (it's bacon! how can you say no to it??)

appetizer :: bacon fat popcorn | bacon . crispy sage . shaved parmesan ($4)

it wasn't huge bowl of popcorn (thank goodness!) but it was satisfying portion. with fried smoky and salty bacon bits strewn generously over airy popcorn which is then covered with shavings of partially melted parmesan from the residual heat of the bacon. this was then garnished with fried sage leaves which imparted a subtle earthiness that i absolutely loved. so sinfully greasy but i liked it quite a bit actually to the extent that it was hard to stop munching.

appetizer :: steamed PEI mussels, spanish | chorizo & and tomato saffron broth ($12)

mmm.. mussels. the last time i met up with this friend, we ordered mussels vindaloo from the gage. this faired pretty well in terms of flavor profile it was aiming for but the broth itself was a tad too salty. usually, i look forward to the toast that comes with the mussel dish to sop up all the awesome broth but i was greeted with disappointment. it wasn't crispy, toasty nor buttered up enough. however, the redeeming quality was that the mussels were fresh and flavorful which i would have to attribute to the slightly overseasoned broth.

sandwiches & burgers :: farm burger | baby spinach . roasted beet . horseradish cream . fried organic egg ($12)

huge burger portion with a generous amount of fries - hand cut fries was my choice. oddly enough, although it was a burger, it gave me the impression that it was a healthy one with the beets and spinach. they got the cooking time right since i asked for medium which had pink in the middle - moist and had nice grilled marks. the toasted bun held its own, minor sweetness from the beets combined nicely with the slight bite from the spinach but very mild horseradish kick from the cream made me wish there were a bit more seasoning on the burger. overall, i thought it was a solid burger.

brunch :: pork belly sandwich | smoked pork belly . two fried eggs . arugula . tomato . garlic aioli with redskin potatoes ($10)

sd ordered this as his entree. instead of hand cut fries, he opted for mashed potatoes. he mentioned that it was fatty in a few bites but it was what made it good by alternating the fatty and the meaty of the smoked pork bely. mashed potatoes were creamy and smooth but with great substance - a melt in your mouth texture with an underlying garlic flavor.

revolution brewing co. displayed some streaks of awesomeness in their food - injecting twists to american classics makes it a place worth trying.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

note: await for my entries SF dining experience from last month at some of food networks' celebrity chefs' restaurant including incanto and wayfare tavern. or a few new recipes that i tried recently :)

figgy-licious toasts

2011-09-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

my first encounters with figs was in the form of fig newtons. but never have i had fresh figs until a couple of weeks ago on one of my dishes at incanto in san francisco. (more about that in another post) it started off with one bite and i was in love :)

since then, i couldn't get enough of them... i kept telling my friends how much i love fresh figs. i get excited every time i find them at the grocery store. fig obsessed would be best way to describe the situation. all the better because of the great health benefits these babies had to offer.. i am a bit sad that they are almost out of season... eek!

surprisingly, the latest food network magazine featured a recipe that uses these delicious fruits which inspired me to make my rendition of figgy toasts.. it was rather simple and required the aseembly of just a few ingredients that also included bread, goat cheese, honey and pistachios.

ciabatta was my choice of bread and sliced but i decided not to toast them in the oven. instead, i roasted the halved black mission figs tossed in olive oil (btw, i prefer black mission figs over the green counterparts) in a preheated 400F oven for about 10 minutes to soften it up. in retrospect, i think i should have sliced them instead of just halving them - so it would be easier to lay them on the ciabatta slices.

while the roasting happens, i added some honey into goat cheese and incorporated both the ingredients to make a smooth spread. i slathered one side of the toast generously which is then topped with the warm roasted figs and some chopped pistachio that i roasted a bit in the oven to bring out the flavors of the nut. finally, just a small drizzle of honey as a finishing touch.

verdict i liked it but i thought something was missing. it was sweet and loved the fig flavors with the goat cheese which was slightly savory and creamy. should have bought the roasted pistachio with the shell on (i was lazy that day!) which could have gave that extra nuttiness and saltiness to round up the flavors. weird thing was, i made extra and put some in the fridge and it tasted better the next day! maybe cos the flavors had a chance to blend together better. and i kinda liked it slightly chilled.

since i had some extra roasted figs and goat cheese with honey blend, i bought some extra potato bread, arugula, thick slices of spanish chorizo to make it into a delicious sandwich. it was really good with an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar so you get the mix of peppery, savory flavorfulness from the chorizo, creamy and sweet. yummy!

i'd say this is a great snack or appetizer or just if you want to eat the figs in a different way. if you're interested in trying out the recipe:

toast with figs & goat cheese

inspired by a recipe in food network magazine

ingredients |

6 fresh black mission figs, halved
bread of your choice - get enough to obtain six slices with half an inch thickness (my pick would be ciabatta or french bread or even multigrain toast)
4 tablespoon of goat cheese (more if desired)
2 teaspoon of honey and more to drizzle
a handful of roasted pistachio, deshelled

directions |

preheat the oven to 400 F. toss the halved fresh figs in olive oil and some salt.
optional || if desired, drizzle some olive oil on slices of bread and toast at a 400F oven for 10 minutes
while the figs roasts in the oven for 30 minutes to soften, incorporate the goat cheese and the honey together to get a smooth spread.
spread the goat cheese mix generously on one side of the toast.
place two fig halves on the toast. top it with chopped roasted pistachios and drizzle some honey as a finishing touch. it is ready to serve.

note || it may be hard to find fresh figs in the store so it is possible to substitute with dried figs but since it is much sweeter, leave out the honey in the recipe.

davanti enoteca

2011-09-20T15:01:00.003-05:00

davanti enoteca has been receiving rave reviews after rave reviews since it opened its doors. and hence it had joined my wishlist since last year.. however, i had to cancel my plans to go there, not once but twice. until finally, i had the pleasure of trying davanti's delicious flavors about a month ago.

located in little italy, davanti enoteca is a cozy rustic yet modern restaurant with strong italian influence in its decor. there is a bar on the left as you walk into the restaurant and then you could see the chefs at work at the open kitchen which i thought was very exciting. some of the italian touches that i thought were cool were the wall covered in wooden slats from wine cases and instead of using a pizza stand, they substitue with big san marzano tomato cans. the back dining room is adorned by shelves of wine bottles. there are also outdoor and rooftop seating which you could request for (when the weather isn't crazy cold).

xy and i decided to share two appetizers and had an entree each..

vasi :: mini mason jar with tuscan toast | ricotta & honey comb ($6)

i like food in mini mason jars.. when served, a cube of honey comb came on the side and the staff actually mixed the honey comb into the ricotta cheese at the table. the ricotta was smooth and creamy with the flavor of honey streaked through it served atop a buttered and crispy toast. i really liked the light flavors and was a good way to start the meal.i think i would love to try the chicken liver pate for a more savory option next time :)

antipasti :: truffle egg toast . fontina . asparagus ($8)

truffle - goood....

fontina -goood....
asparagus - gooood...
i mean what is there not to like?

xy had never had truffle before so this was an interesting first experience for him. i love the flavor of truffle but i thought it was somewhat too strong. i love the mild fontina melted beautifully topped which accentuated the richness of runny yolks nestled in a nest in the middle of a thickly cut toast. the toast was placed upon a bed of roasted asparagus that helped mellow the richness of it. xy really liked it while i wished there was some kind of citrus/balsamic to cut through the richness. but we still finished every last bite on the plate.

paste :: riccio di mare e granchio | linguine . sea urchin . crab ($13)

my first experience with sea urchin... at least as far as i am aware of. this was the main reason why i wanted to come here. if you love seafood, i think you would enjoy this. it was a generous amount of crab which contributes its natural sweetness in contrast to the ocean flavor/saltiness of the sea urchin sauce that clings lovingly to the linguine. it didn't disappoint in terms of flavors but just a tad oily. the pasta was cooked just right with just a good amount of bite. delish!

boards :: mascarpone polenta + ragu of the day | pork shoulder with san marzano tomatoes and porcini mushroom ($13)

i hate to admit it but this dish probably stole the show that day because i didn't order it (xy's entree) . they brought out a board and two sauce pans - one with the polenta and the other containing ragu to be served at the table. the pork shoulder was melt-in-your-mouth tender which was braised in a stew that had several layers of flavor from the sweet and tart san marzano tomatoes blended with the earthiness of porcini mushrooms. very hearty with a good balance of seasoning. then they paired it with creamy mascarpone polenta which made the dish amazing. i'd go as far to say that this is one of the best things i've ever had. not to be missed! i loved my dish but i was secretly wishing i had ordered this for myself. outstanding!

davanti enoteca has done a tremendous job standing out in the midst of all the other italian rival restaurants in little italy. that, in itself, is a testament to its intricate italian flavors with a modern twist. yum! can't wait for my return visit :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

el pueblo cocina mexicana

2011-09-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

i've heard from my friends that california is the home to some of the best mexican food in the united states. and we were spoilt for choice, even in folsom but we managed to narrow it down to el pueblo cocina mexicana which was quite new in town (back in july..yes i know, this entry is way overdue) but has already a few rave reviews on yelp.

the decor of the restaurant centered around mexican culture with colorful murals and the lively music playing in the background added to the ambiance.

they started us out with complimentary chips and salsa (which they allow for free refills by the way) so we could get as much as we want till our hearts' content.

ryan, his brother and i decided to share three dishes among the three of us while their mom ordered nachos.

nachos locos | chicken, beef or carnitas, topped with beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo & jalapeños ($8.95)

when this dish came, it was a huge plate of food. there was a generous amount of melted cheese and the same flavorful shredded pork (ryan's mom ordered carnitas) atop the crispy tortilla. she seems to enjoy it immensely but quickly realized it was very filling. the tortilla chips were great vehicle for the other ingredients. the crunchy of the chips, with the tender carnitas, melty cheese, the butteriness of the beans and the tartness of the sour cream to balance all the ingredients.

shrimp & chorizo quesadilla | served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo ($10.45)

i would have to say this was the best dish of all the three we shared. the flavorful combination of the spicy chorizo and the sweetness of the fresh shrimp which was glued together between the toasty tortilla by the creamy and melty cheese was just perfect. what made it even better was the combination with the toppings of guacamole, salsa and the sour cream that added tartness to balance out the richness of the dish. it was definitely top pick of the night and our yummy favorite.

shrimp pasilla | fire-roasted pasilla, filled with grilled shrimp & cream sauce, served with a cheese enchilada ($14.95)

this mimicks the traditional chilli relleno but instead it is stuffed with shrimp and topped with sour cream. the natural sweetness from the generous amount of shrimp in the paquillo peppers flavors the dish. on the side, the cheese enchilada was oozing with melted cheese and just looked so very tempting to take huge bite of it. great layers of flavors all around but slightly too rich after a few bites. it was definitely a filling dish.

carnitas michoacanas | slow-roasted pork in our secret blend of spices, served with 3 tortillas ($13.45)

the tender shredded pork had good amount of seasonings on it with their secret blend of spices and went incredibly well with the spanish rice. while it was delicious, i wished there were slightly more condiments on the side (which i assumed we could probably ask for) but still a very tasty dish. yum! after our meal, ryan and i concurred that sharing two dishes between the three of us would have been a good amount of food cos we were so stuffed after dinner.

churros & ice cream ($4.95)

ryan ordered churros his second visit to the restaurant (for the shrimp and chorizo quesadilla) and said that the churros here rivaled its counterpart from xoco that i really, really love. crispy and doughy and sweetened with cinnamon sugar which is the way to churros perfection :)

el pueblo has made its mark for me as one of my favorite mexican food places. we thought that the friendly staff was endearing. one pet peeve though was the wait time for food although there weren't many customers that evening but it was well worth the wait. solidly executed authentic mexican food with great flavors and i certainly hope this restaurant is here to stay.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

meatyballs mobile

2011-09-11T22:35:00.004-05:00

food trucks have been steadily increasing in popularity in the past few years. there is even a show on food network called the great food truck race to see which food trucks can outsell each other. i mean what is there not to like? the food is delicious (mostly) and conveniently "delivered" to you, so to speak as long as they are in your neighborhood.

meatyballs mobile first caught my attention with its name - then it proved itself with the sandwiches it dishes out. so chicago has this ordinance where food trucks are not allowed to prepare/cook food in trucks so everything is already cooked and packaged before they sell it. the mastermind behind meatyballs mobile is philip foss, the former lockwood's excutive chef.

taken from metromix chicago

they started out with one truck and has since expanded to three to spread their meatball love around chicago due to the popularity high demand for these various renditions of meatball sandwiches. meatyballs mobile has been awarded the trendsetter of the year by tribune dining awards and named chicago's best ball by chicago best wgn.

taken from metromix chicago

the first time i purchased their meatball sandwiches, they only offered torpedos ($7-9) which are the standard size subs. but they've added the grenade ($3) to their menu - sliders with a meatball. essentially, the guy said that three grenades makes up a torpedo. i decided on grenades just cos that would give me a chance to try out their different menu items.

original meatyballs | beef . pork . four cheese sauce . truffle oil .

i wanted to try their namesake which is pretty mild in flavor. more of a purist cos you can taste the natural flavors of the meat at its best. the meatball itself is moist and seasoned well. the cheese sauce could use a little more cheese to thicken it and best way to get its meltiness is to heat it up for a couple of seconds in the microwave. the truffle oil was a mere whisper and made me looking for more. it is a lil messy to eat that it required either a fork and knife or a lot of napkins. all these sandwiched in between two soft buns (which by the way is made fresh by keri foss) to soak up all the sauces.

shweddy balls | tunisian-style lamb and chicken balls . very spicy tomato sauce .

the first thing i noticed was the red flakes around the rim of the slider. then a cut in the middle revealed a meatball with plenty of ingredients. spicy it was but a good one that doesn't linger on the mouth. the first bite, i couldn't really taste the meat and immediately the spicy kicks in with an herbaceous note. maybe the herbs and spices overpowered the natural flavor of the meat but the flavors were reminiscent of something that my mom makes which i really like. it was a tad dry compared to its first counterpart but totally love the sear of the meatball. my verdict: it's okay.

bbq balls | pulled pork shoulder . red cabbage . apples . cola - bourbon bbq sauce .

my first encounter with meatyballs sandwich involved this bbq balls sandwich - torpedo size. i liked it so much (although slightly oversauced) that i wanted to get it for a second time. i am glad to say that the pulled pork was moist and just enough of the bbq sauce. the sweetness paired well with the pulled pork which i was surprised was not overpowered by the bbq sauce. i did wish there was more of the cabbage slaw though. the pulled pork balls are really great on its own too! probably my favorite of them all.

truffle-dusted potato chips ($2)

i've always had a hard time resisting truffle and potato chips. i've bought this several times with or without the sandwiches. one thing i notice is the inconsistency in terms of amount of truffle flavor in the chips. this time, the truffle flavor was a tad faint almost like a tease but loved that they were crispy and earthy at the same time.. yum!

the meatball and bun ratio seems to be leaning towards the bun a lil and left me craving for more meat. but i like the idea of meatball sandwiches and the different varieties of yummy flavors to change up my usual lunch routine. :) oh and they also have dessert balls (keeping true to their name somewhat) called the chocolate salty balls at $5. you can find their stop schedules on their website or you could keep up with the meatyballs mobile on twitter @FossFoodTrucks

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

savoring summer at shanghai terrace

2011-09-02T11:47:00.002-05:00

i usually try to write entries based on chronological order of when i visit a restaurant. but i am gonna skip ahead a couple of restaurants (i promise i will write about those soon) and you'll find out why soon enough.

i wanted to do something different this summer in chicago.. fests were in the plans but i missed most of them. xy suggested outdoor dining at the rooftop which i thought was an absolutely great idea i looked up a few restaurant that offers rooftop dining and finally agreed upon shanghai terrace at the peninsula.

located on the fourth floor at the peninsula hotel, it is smacked right in the heart of downtown on michigan avenue. since it was on a weekend, i called to make reservation and was told that there was no guarantee of an outdoor table pending to the weather and availability but they would try their best to accomodate. so reservation for 5:30pm it was.

seeing how early our dinner reservation was, there were ample of outdoor dining tables to our choosing. the weather was quite nice - chilly and quite a bit too windy but it was great to bask in the sun (although somewhat fleeting) with a couple of cocktails. in fact, it was too windy that as xy was browsing the menu, one of the pages flew but luckily was caught by a shrub much to everyone's amusement. couple of minutes later, xy did a super hero save on a wine glass that was about to roll off the table next to us after toppled over by the gust of wind which earned him an applause by some of the diners. haha.

i loved the ambience at the outdoor dining area. it was cozy with a nice backdrop of downtown chicago with familiar skyscrapers filling the skies although xy mentioned he would have preferred to dine somewhere higher than the fourth floor. regardless, we started out with cocktails.

cocktails :: the ning sling | absolut mandarin . lychee . fresh mint . passion fruit .

xy and i both ordered the same drink but i requested for a virgin cocktail. i thought it was delicious, fruity flavors merried well with the subtle cooling mint sensation that made it oh so refreshing. xy said he could hardly taste the alcohol in his. $15 for the cocktail while mine was $7.

cocktails :: shanghai lemonade | canton french ginger liqueur . patron reposado . lemon & lime juices . ($15)

i took a sip and thought it tasted like margarita. could definitely taste the alcohol in it and christina seemed happy with her drink choice.

after several minutes, we decided to move our meal indoors because the wind wasn't working in our favor. the staff was very accommodating and friendly and got us a table within minutes. one thing i noticed was that most of their staff are chinese. (not that there is anything wrong with it just makes me wonder if it is a requirement to be a server there for authenticity purposes) the decor indoor reflected chinese culture with accents of red around the room.

i dunno if we were bitten by the 'duck cravings' bug but all of us wanted to order a duck dish in some form. after much discussion, christina and i decided on sharing their three course prix fixe which is priced at $128 per couple and xy was fixated on the crispy duck from their a la carte menu.

three course :: carved roasted peking duck | mandarin cakes . cucumber . scallion . hoisin sauce . plum sauce .

the main reason of ordering this three course menu. roasted peking duck is a famous dish from beijing prized for its thin, crispy skin and delicious aroma. and the chef at the shanghai terrace got both the criteria accounted for. i love when i can assemble my own food cos i could add as much ingredients as i'd like or not have them at all. the tender and moist gamey meat which was seasoned well contrasted perfectly with the crispy duck skin and the warm soft mandarin pancakes that tasted it was made from scratch. the combination of both hoisin and plum just rounded off these bite size treats. it was a tad messy to assemble and eat but it was a good kind of yummy messy :)

it was a generous amount of food that xy had some as well. very delicious.. so delish that before christina and i were even done with this dish, we were already planning a possible next visit here just for the peking duck. if you are not interested in three course choices, you could also get the peking duck a la carte priced at $32 for half and $64 for the whole duck.

three course :: duck salad | toasted almonds . tangerine . truffle peanut vinaigrette .

the idea behind this three/five course meal is to use the rest of the duck meat (after carved for the first dish) as an ingredient for the other dishes. it was a petite salad with some strips of duck meat nestled in a crispy fried wonton cup. the server breaks the nest of wonton at the table as they serve it to you.

i took the first bite and i smiled - mmm truffle. the earthiness of the truffle paired beautifully with the peppery greens which was coated lightly by the sweet vinaigrette. i loved, loved, loved the salad. it was so good and an excellent recommendation by our server. we were surprised when they brought out an extra plate of salad for xy just because they were just plain nice.

three course :: duck and e-fun noodles | braised . asian vegetables . chilli . xo sauce .

the chewy noodles which tasted freshly made were coated with the savory xo sauce with diced vegetables and duck meat. christina and i both liked it but thought it paled in comparison to the first two dishes. tasty but not blown away.

i asked our server if they served this menu all year long to which he answered yes to the peking duck but the entrees on the prix fixed list may vary.

meat&poultry :: crispy duck | pickling spices . mushrooms . asian vegetables . ($31)

as it was served, the duck looked uber crispy just as the name suggests. it was served with a side of rice and hoisin sauce for dipping. xy offered to share his entree since he had much of ours which i gratefully took a piece to try although i was pretty stuffed by this time. it tasted like it was brined/ seasoned very well and the exterior was crispy which would be great with plain white rice to mellow the saltiness. the meat itself was not as tender and moist as the peking duck and we all agreed that peking duck was superior in comparison.

we passed on desserts but we ended our dinner on a sweet note. they brought truffles with almond paste in the middle where the chinese characters of wealth and long life carved atop each chocolate. yummm!

i truly enjoyed my dining experience at the shanghai terrace where tasty food is served in a cozy environment. one thing i loved was that it was dining in a fancy setting without being pretentious. our friendly, patient and funny server that night made the night even more enjoyable.

pricey? yes..but that is to be expected considering it is a restaurant in a lovely hotel in the middle of downtown chicago.

would i return? most likely on a special occasion and especially for that carved roasted peking duck. mmm...thinking about it is making me crave for the delicious goodness!

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

the cellar at the stained glass

2011-08-29T16:38:00.000-05:00

the stained glass bistro has a reputable standing in the dining scene in evanston as a fancy dining restaurant. however, the cellar at the stained glass, an offshoot of the sister restaurant offers more affordable tapas-style dining. i also read that both restaurants share the same kitchen so my guess is you can expect the same quality of culinary expertise from chef victor hernandez at the cellar.

one friday evening after work, christina and i planned for a sleepover at her coach house since her bf's away on a conference. dinner at the cellar was all part of our weekend hangout plan and she wanted to share with me one of her go-to spots to dine in evanston. in fact, the reason why i wanted to try the food there ia because she's been raving about her favorite dishes.

the decor is simple but cozy in a petite space. fitting to its name, there are some wine barrels as you enter the restaurant and wine racks lining the left wall. the bar is sitting at the back right corner of the room.

a glance at their menu and i wanted to order it all. there were cuisines from different regions of the world and they all sounded delicious but with some will power (and the realizationwe were both on a budget.. hehe), we decided to keep it to three dishes to share.

a hint of europe :: ceasar salad | romaine lettuce . garlic croutons . creamy ceasar dressing . anchovy ($3.50)

yes i know.. of all salads to get..

but i have to say that simple made right isn't easy. i love ceaser salad when it's tossed in homemade dressing. the crisp freshness of the romaine lettuce and the crunchy garlicky croutons, tossed with the creamy, flavorful dressing weaved with shavings of fresh parmesan cheese. a tad over generous with the cheese and a lil too much dressing actually made me crave for a lil more of the romaine lettuce. the dressing is yummy and i could taste the great quality of the ingredients. i love the touch of the extra slices of anchovy which is optional that give that extra salty brininess. lovely.

all american :: micro burgers | black angus sirloin . brioche bun . lettuce . onion . tomato . shoe string fries . truffle mayo ($3.50 each)

this is the simplest most basic burger sliders but dang it's great. at first glance, i thought that these sophisticated sliders might be dry but when i bit into it, i was mistaken. the meat was really juicy (done medium) which was all absorbed by the soft toasted brioche. i, for one, usually take the onion out but they were sliced thinly enough that it didn't leave a lingering onion bite at the end. the truffle mayo was on the lighter side and i wished there was more of that earthy flavor. you have the option to add applewood smoked bacon and cheese for additional 50 cents each but i say you don't even need it. burgers like these that are seasoned and cooked right with fresh ingredients don't need additional stuff on it.

some of the shoe string fries were not crispy enough but they were seasoned well! it always seems that whenever i order fries with christina it ends up being lackluster. :( burger awesome, fries just alright.

worldwide :: ale-steamed mussels | ginger . shiitake mushroom . grilled garlic toasts ($10.50)

me. a mussels lover. is it any surprise that i had to order these?

and i loved, loved this mussels dish which were bathing in a flavorful broth with an undertone of asian flavors. the addition of brocollini and the fresh oysters mushroom with the mussels would make such great toppings atop the buttery and crispy garlic toasts. or you know just dip those toasts in the broth. well on top of that, i also took spoonfuls of the broth once we finished the mussels - so good! think i literally drank it all like soup till there was no more. haha. in terms of freshness, there were maybe one or two morsels that were still shut tight but overall fresh mussels :)

i really liked the food at the cellar at the stained glass. the most pleasant surprise for me is probably the micro burgers cos i didn't expect myself to enjoy it as much as i did and without bacon at that! haha. easy going atmosphere and friendly service with not too expensive of a price tag.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

nostalgia at the rice table

2011-08-22T20:01:00.002-05:00

pop-up restaurants? whaatttt??

this is a fairly new term to me and i've never come across it until recently when i was browsing through timeout chicago website and found this new concept of "pop-up restaurants". a pop-up restaurant refers to a dining establishment that is open one or some nights of the week, usually in an existing restaurant or a commercial food establishment.

one of these pop-up restaurants i found was the rice table that serves authentic indonesian cuisine usually at the sip coffee house around the west loop area. the mastermind behind this is a mother&son team who share their family recipes and culture through their food every other friday. the events are usually found on either their facebook page or website where you can also find the prix fixe menu for the week. oh, did i mention it's byob? and it's cash only so make sure you have some cash before you head over there.

xy and i decided to give it a shot a few weeks ago and i figured since indonesia is close enough to malaysia, their food should have some similarities. and i was craving for spicy malaysian food.

sip coffee house is a very cute coffee place with a vintage style to boot. i am a sucker for the comfy, familiar and cozy type of ambience.

i didn't bring any drinks of my own (they offer water, no worries) so i thought i might just order a refreshing italian soda which was very good. upon the recommendation of the staff, i tried the blackberry mojito drink which i thought was very delicious.

while we were waiting for the ppl to set up the dining area at the back, i spotted the rice table crew doing last minute prep for the dinner service.

the dining area was minimalist with its own personality. interesting features were the beautiful art pieces on the wall that you can purchase and the chairs were not all consistently the same. i remembered that distinctly because another customer was trying out to see which chair was most comfortable. lol. since we were one of the first people there, we could pick wherever we would like to sit. there was also outdoor seating if you prefer to enjoy the evening outside.

we knew what the prix fixe menu was for that evening but i failed to connect that the menu was leaning more towards the chinese style of food until i tried the food.

they started us out with some crispy and yummy shrimp crackers. either we were really hungry or the chips were really very tasty or both, we found ourselves quickly munching it away until it was all gone and was sad that there was none left but our friendly server came around asked us if we wanted more to which we enthusiastically said yes.

the dinner was served family style with a serving bowl of rice and if we wanted more food we could have requested extra (without extra cost to us if i am not mistaken)

i wouldn't go too much in detail about each dish they serve but i think our favorite was probably the omelette because of the different ingredients that combined in the omelette and to top it off with the sweet ginger tomato sauce was really different. i really liked the tofu too because it had a slight kick from the serrano peppers (probably the only spicy dish that was present). in general, the food was pretty tasty including the roast pork (be scarce with the sauce though cos it is really salty). the owner/mom (is my guess) came by and asked us if we enjoyed the food which we did.

the biggest pull to us from this dining experience was not the food but what the memory the food served evoked. the food itself was the essence of what homemade food is - it didn't taste anything at all like restaurant food. when we had the first taste of the dishes, we were transported back to our home and to our moms' cooking. very nostalgic.

while the food wasn't amazing (it was good, don't get me wrong), the nostalgia and the homemade aspect of the food made the experience worth the cost. we both agreed that we would like to return when they offer the spicier options on their prix fixe.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

thai feast at bangkok garden

2011-08-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

i love trying food from different cultures but often times whenever i crave for something, it's more often for asian food. and thai food is usually pretty high up on the list because that's the first thing that comes to mind (other than malaysian) when i try to get my fill for spicy dishes. i promised ryan we'd explore more sacramento restaurants whenever i visit so i found bangkok garden which is about 30 minutes drive from folsom. it has received favorable reviews on yelp and it made me all the more excited to try the place.

we went there on a thursday evening for dinner hoping that there wasn't a huge crowd but the restaurant was filled. the wait was about a 15 minute and they told us we could either wait outside or in starbucks just next door and they would call for us when our table was ready. starbucks was our pick since the weather was really hot that evening.

the decor of the restaurant was a lot thai influenced which was fitting and the walls were clad in wooden panels.

there were so many things i wanted to try out on their menu. but most importantly, when they asked us what degree of spicy we wanted, we were torn between extra spicy and thai spicy. a lot of times i've been disappointed by "extra" spicy at countless restaurants which really doesn't feel like they've added anything extra but we were a lil apprehensive that the thai spicy at bangkok garden might be overwhelming (i only know of one thai place that if i asked for extra spicy to the highest degree.. it burned my stomach.. but it hurts soo good.. lol). they said that their thai spicy is pretty authentically thai standards so we went with extra spicy just to be safe.

soup :: shrimp tom yum soup | spicy & sour soup with lemon grass, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, galangal, kaffir lime leaves ($3.50)

i love soup and i somewhat take tom yum soups very seriously at thai restaurants. sometimes i even judge how much i like a thai restaurant based on their success with tom yum soup. well, i have to say bangkok garden did a fantastic job with it. there was a good balance of sweetness and sourness with a hint of lemongrass flavor in the soup. to top it off, the shrimp was fresh and cooked beautifully. what i don't get is the undercooked white mushroom in the soup that kinda brings the soup down a notch but still a favorite and i would get it again the next time.

house specialties :: angel wings | deep fried chicken wings, stuffed with ground pork, chicken, noodles and mushrooms, served with home made sweet and sour sauce ($7.95)

first thing's first.. chicken stuffed with noodles?! that's an interesting concept. they fried the chicken wings to crispy perfection without being greasy and was piping hot when it was served at the table. there is a play of textural difference from the cripsy crust, to the juicy tender meat it encased and the other stuffing it had. a lil more salt would have gone a long way but was made up by the sauce that it was served with.

house specialties :: spicy catfish | sauteed deep fried fillet catfish with bell pepper and basil in spicy chilli sauce ($8.50)

this was the test of the level of spiciness their food ranked... which was almost non existent. i could barely get a spicy kick with the extra spicy request which was disappointing. however, the flavors of this dish reminded me of a local malaysian dish called sambal. it was savory with a sweet undertone flavor that goes awesome with rice and perfect to also dip the chicken wings in. some of the fresh fillets had that nice crispy crunch while a few others didn't. however, i loved the familiar flavors and thought it was a great tasty dish and would totally get it again.

house specialties :: duck curry | sliced roasted duck in coconut milk, red curry, bamboo shoot, pineapple, tomato and basil ($8.95)

so we have this favorite duck curry that we used to order all the time at our favorite thai restaurant in chicago. and the duck curry here was reminiscent of that delicious dish which was a creamy thick curry with satisfying flavors of slight luscious sweetness melded with the gaminess of the duck. a bit iffy with the pineapple though. satisfying and the gravy is really good with rice and it was hard to stop munching away even though we were stuffed.

dessert :: f.b.i | fried banana ice cream ($3.75)

similar to the chicken wings, the bananas were fried to awesome crispiness. i suppose it is good that the banana was not very sweet which was compensated by the taro ice cream (you get to choose your flavor of ice cream) which tasted coconut-y and creamy. the banana was soft and hot contrasted with its crispy exterior and the cold ice cream. however, the coloring of the ice cream was a tad too much to the point my tongue had a light purple tinge at the end of the meal.

we enjoyed our first meal so much, we went for a second visit for lunch just before i flew back to chicago. i think we were the first customers to get there. after our last visit and realizing that extra spicy wasn't enough, we opted for thai spicy instead.

appetizer :: prawn egg rolls | deep fried marinated prawn in egg wrapper, served with plum sauce ($7.50)

as its name suggested, it was literally a shrimp wrapped in egg wrapper and deep fried and it was piping hot that we had to give several minutes before biting into one. the shrimp was fresh and cooked well but i didn't really notice any flavors from the marinade.. mostly shrimp flavor. crispy, not greasy and hot and loved the plum sauce that came with it.

fried rice and noodle :: crab fried rice | pan fried rice with crab meat, eggs, onion and tomatoes ($8.95)

generous portion of serving with visible pieces of real crab meat which i loved. this was a basic fried rice which seasoned well but mild in flavor to the point that the flavors became one note after a while. the slices of tomatoes were served as a garnish instead of incorporated into the fried rice itself. i was searching for like a vegetable crunch or something. a huge downer was that it was too oily for my liking.

seafood :: smoked eggplant | steamed peeled eggplant, topped with sauteed chopped chicken, calamari, prawns and chili paste ($9.95)

i love eggplant and the use of chinese eggplant made it even better. there was a generous amount of meat and seafood which went well with the savory chili paste but compared to the fish dish we ordered the last time, this paled slightly in comparison. it was a good dish overall but wasn't great. the flavors of the chili paste wasn't really spicy except for the bites with slices of bird's eye chillies which isn't my type of spicy that i like. i prefer a spiciness infused into the sauce instead.

beverages :: thai iced tea ($2)

just like any other thai places, i've come to accept that thai iced teas are too sweet and i find myself diluting it with iced water. however, the flavors are there. the addition of milk and condensed milk makes the tea smooth, sweet and creamy.

bangkok garden displayed an array of wonderful, delicious thai dishes that keeps us wanting to go back for more. i have to admit, our food choices from our first visit were a lot better than the second. in terms of service, the staff were very friendly and nice. one complaint was that as the night progressed and the restaurant became busier, the service was also affected. towards the end, there was a considerable wait time before our dessert was served and it was hard to get the attention of the servers.

although i've only tried three thai restaurants so far in sacramento area, this is definitely the best one to date in the sacramento area. i'm heading to california sometime in september and this would probably my first stop for dinner when i get there :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others