Daily Grub

Tacolicious!

November 8, 2009 by dailygrub

My Thursday food adventures at the farmers' market in the Ferry Building continues. Last couple of times (1,2), I had Namu, so I wanted to try something different.

Right next to Namu is Tacolicious, a project from Joe Hargrave of Laïola restaurant and Sara, senior editor of 7×7 magazine.

I ordered three tacos since it was $9 compared to $3.50 each. I got the "chef's favorite," house made chorizo potato, beef short rib and chicken taco.

I didn't eat the tacos right away (walked back to the office) and maybe that was a wrong decision. By the time I was ready to eat the tacos, they were already cold. The meats were all tender, but the flavor was ok. I liked the chorizo potato one the best. I never had this combination in a taco before. It actually worked.

I doubt I'd go back to Tacolicious – food's decent. There are 4 other booths I need to try! :)

Dona Tomas

November 8, 2009 by dailygrub

After most of the festivities for Ray and Aki's wedding, we finally had the time to have dinner with them before they left. We went to Dona Tomas in Oakland because Mexican food options are minimal in Japan.

The restaurant is cute, dark and intimate (as you can see from my poor pictures). They also have a romantic outdoor patio area with lights.

We ordered guacamole that came with house made chips. Pretty good, nothing too special.

Jason and I split our entrees – carnitas and carne asada, so we could share. The carnitas was a slow-roasted shredded pork with Mexican spices and served with tortillas, rice and pinto beans. The meat was a little dry and salty, but not bad. The carne asada on the other hand, was very salty. The dish was thinly sliced grilled beef with a hot chile sauce, served with pinto beans and a corn and zucchini pudding. I don't remember what the pudding tasted like, I just couldn't get over the saltiness of the entree.

The ambiance of Dona Tomas is cute, but I wouldn't go back. The food lacked depth and flavor, it was just too salty for my taste buds.

Porchetta Sandwich

November 7, 2009 by dailygrub

I lived with a girl named Emily that was a sous chef at Ame.

Ame, my friends. Michelin rated Ame.

Food there is out of this world. And even better when you know the chef. ;)

I moved out and lost contact with her, but randomly thought of her one day. Texted her and found out she was no longer at Ame, but working at a new place called Il Cane Rosso in the Ferry Building. I was shocked to hear she was at the Ferry Building, considering I work only three blocks away and visit it almost every week – just never ran into her.

I swung by Il Cane Rosso and ordered their number one seller, porchetta sandwich. Holy cow, that thing's meaty and delicious. The pork shoulder was tender, moist and full of flavor. It looks gorgeous (image 3) and so yummy. The bread was soft with a red pluot mostarda spread (tasted kind of like plum jam) and mustard greens. I could only eat half of the sandwich – too much for one sitting.

Knowing someone that works in the kitchen often leads to hook ups. And this time was no different. My ex-roomie gave me a heirloom tomato salad with sel gris (sea salt), basil, balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil. How can something so simple be so amazing?

I'll definitely be vising Il Cane Rosso again, with or without a hook up. Their menu changes daily, so be sure to check out their site.

Purple…Rice?

November 6, 2009 by dailygrub

Was about to make some dinner, opened a container of leftover rice and saw…..purple rice?! Don't know how only a few grains turned purple..and from what? I thought rice would turn green or just smell bad if it's rotten.

Needless to say, into the trash it went! Unsolved mystery.

HOPR

November 6, 2009 by dailygrub

To celebrate Tony's birthday, several friends and I went to House of Prime Rib for dinner. I've been to this fine establishment a handful of times and every single visit brings happiness and good food.

You go to HOPR to eat prime rib and really nothing else, therefore, the menu's short. There is a fish option, but seriously, you go there to enjoy their legendary prime rib.

An iceberg lettuce with sliced beets, carrots and cabbage in a house made thousand island-like dressing is tossed table side. I really like this salad, but the dressing is strong and I wish they wouldn't drench the lettuce.

There are four options of the size of cut you want. I always get the smallest portion, city cut, because I can never eat it all. Medium please. Many people say that's "overcooking" it, but hey, I don't like blood on my meat. Your portion is carved table side from a silver cart.

The prime rib dinner comes with a choice of creamed spinach or corn, mashed or baked potato and an amazing Yorkshire pudding. The creamed spinach (my choice always) is not heavy, yet very creamy. I also always get mashed potatoes which is whipped super smooth and topped with gravy. The Yorkshire pudding is definitely my favorite part of the meal. It is light and delicious when you soak it in the au jus…yummy.

For the birthday boy, we had a super thick, chocolate cake. I am not a fan of chocolate cake and this is the epitome of why I don't like them. Too thick, too chocolate-ly and too much overly sweet frosting. Just too much. After two bites, I was done – stuffed from the meal and from the over kill of sweetness.

Had a fabulous time with everyone, like any other time at HOPR. Thank you and happy birthday Tony!

Non-Alcoholic Happy Hour

November 2, 2009 by dailygrub

I met up with Kate, Bruce and Tony at my old neighborhood coffee shop, Cup of Joe. I used to go here a lot to do my homework, meet up with friends or just kill some time. They have one of the best deals for happy hour – $3 draft beers and I always get Stella.

But….on this particular day, I forgot my ID at home. I switched purses in the morning and left my ID in my other bag. Boo, guys never have this problem, do they?

I tried to order a drink at the counter and was immediately turned down. I'm 26; come on now! I do look young (it's the Asian in me), but I was pretty annoyed because I had a long day at work and needed an ice cold glass of Stella.

The barista wasn't budging, so I ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream. I didn't feel like drinking a latte or mocha (my normal coffee drinks). The hot chocolate was surprisingly pretty good – smooth and rich.

I did, however, quench my alcoholic buds by taking sips from my friends' beer. muhahaha – beating the system.

Fancy BLT

November 2, 2009 by dailygrub

Another lunch from Gap's 7th floor cafe – applewood bacon, fried green tomatoes (in cornmeal) and lettuce on grilled sourdough bread. Instead of typical potato chips, the sandwich came with a side of orzo, tomato and cucumber salad. Yummy.

Another Trip to Napa

November 2, 2009 by dailygrub

I've surprisingly been going to Napa a lot more frequently this year. Hey, not complaining. I should go even more often, considering it's close and there are so many vineyards to discover.

Aki wanted to take her mom and friends to Napa since they were here visiting from Japan. We first went to Robert Mondavi and tasted some delicious reds and whites. I'm not much of a white wine person, but Robert Mondavi's Chardonnay was good, not too dry, but crisp. The crowd favorite was the muscat dessert wine. We all left the vineyard with a bottle each. :) It's the perfect and sweet – reminds me of summer.

Next, we went to my favorite vineyard, V.Sattui. I really love this place, but….so does everyone else. It gets way too crowded in the tasting room and picnic area. Luckily, we were there near the end of the day and most of the tourists were leaving.

I got a hot salami and provolone cheese sandwich with a dash of balsamic vinegar from the vineyard's deli. It was enough to feed two people, but I enjoyed half of it at V.Sattui's desirable picnic area. I love the simplicity of enjoying good wine on the grass in the warm weather. It's so relaxing.

We spent a good amount of time in the picnic area and then the sprinklers turned on (that's their way to kick us out). I was surprised that this trip to Napa didn't call for more wine tasting, but the company was great and I'll miss them when they go back to Japan.

Related posts: I Love Napa, Part 1,2,3 / Salad in Napa

Fiesta

October 29, 2009 by dailygrub

The day after the wedding was another big day of eating and hanging out with relatives from Japan and Indiana.

We had a huge fiesta with food catered from a Mexican restaurant in Pittsburg (sorry, forgot the name). The assortment consisted of deviled eggs, chicken enchiladas, salad, lumpias, refried beans, tacos, chicken and beef burritos, chips and salsa, tamales, and barbecued chicken. Seeing deviled eggs and lumpia was a little odd, considering this was from a Mexican restaurant, but it wasn't bad – eclectic, something for everyone.

It was crazy seeing the amount of food we had! We had so many leftovers for the next few days. I was Mexican-ed out for sure.