Monday, August 31, 2009
Oakland "Streets Eats" Street Food Festival
We decided to head over to the Oakland "Street Eats" street food festival yesterday, not sure what we'd find. It was way better than we anticipated. We'd never been to Jack London Square, and it was a very pleasant spot; right on the water, sunny, live band playing.
But the food was the star. We tried Gerard's Paella, which we have been wanting to try for a long time. It was truly delicious. Although we thought it would have been even better with a little spice added, we recognize that when you are cooking in a pan that easily feeds 100 people, you have to season to the lowest common denominator.
My great find of the day was LaLoo's Goat Milk Ice Cream. Since Ronin is allergic to dairy from cow's and I am breastfeeding, I haven't had any ice cream in about 7 month. I was so happy to see this stand! I didn't even know that goat milk ice cream existed. Also, it was surprisingly un-goaty. I was expecting a little tang, based on my experience with goat cheese. What I got was a lovely, deep chocolate, not-tangy-at-all, super creamy ice cream. Yum.
Another great moment was when we happened upon a tasting stand for Little Bug, a locally grown, organic, baby food company. Even Ronin got to taste something at this festival: peaches! Giao and I also tasted the fig baby food and it was tasty. Since I find it much more economical (and easy) to make my own baby food, I probably won't be purchasing any in the near future. However, if I were going to purchase baby food, this would be on the top of my list.
I think Giao took some pictures and we'll try to get those posted later.
But the food was the star. We tried Gerard's Paella, which we have been wanting to try for a long time. It was truly delicious. Although we thought it would have been even better with a little spice added, we recognize that when you are cooking in a pan that easily feeds 100 people, you have to season to the lowest common denominator.
My great find of the day was LaLoo's Goat Milk Ice Cream. Since Ronin is allergic to dairy from cow's and I am breastfeeding, I haven't had any ice cream in about 7 month. I was so happy to see this stand! I didn't even know that goat milk ice cream existed. Also, it was surprisingly un-goaty. I was expecting a little tang, based on my experience with goat cheese. What I got was a lovely, deep chocolate, not-tangy-at-all, super creamy ice cream. Yum.
Another great moment was when we happened upon a tasting stand for Little Bug, a locally grown, organic, baby food company. Even Ronin got to taste something at this festival: peaches! Giao and I also tasted the fig baby food and it was tasty. Since I find it much more economical (and easy) to make my own baby food, I probably won't be purchasing any in the near future. However, if I were going to purchase baby food, this would be on the top of my list.
I think Giao took some pictures and we'll try to get those posted later.
Labels: event
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Pineapple Jerky!?!
We love jerky--any kind of jerky. But we'd never heard of fruit jerky before. We recently tried a product called "pineapple jerky". We weren't sure what to expect since we've only ever had jerky that was derived from an animal, not a plant. Essentially, it turned out to be dried pineapple, but without all of the added sugar and crap you find in most commercial dried fruit. This pineapple jerky was more like the essence of pineapple, but without the mess of a fresh pineapple. It was nice and tart and not cloying at all. And delightfully chewy. It was pretty darn tasty. I'd eat it again. In fact, I demolished all the samples in about 5 minutes.
Jerky.com also sells regular beef and turkey jerky. But what I really want to try next are their more interesting jerkys, like venison, elk, buffalo, ostrich and...wait for it...BACON jerky. Man, bacon jerky just sounds amazing.
(Full disclosure: we were sent free samples from jerky.com.)
Labels: product review
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Baby Hiatus
We had a baby and the blog has been taking a backseat, and probably will for a while. But we'll be back at some point.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Fabulous Meal at Chez Panisse Cafe, Berkeley, CA
My family was in town for the holidays and we thought it would be fun to go to Chez Panisse. Although I called a month in advance (and they only take reservations one month in advance), by the time I called they were all booked on the days we could come for the restaurant, so we made a reservation in the cafe instead. The cafe was still delicious and everyone really enjoyed their meals. When all was said and done, including drinks, the bill was about 15 per person.
Blood Orange, Fennel and Olive Salad
This was simple and delicious. The sweetness of the oranges truly complemented the anise notes of the fennel and the bright, dill infused, dressing was an inspired addition.
Serrano Ham and Cheese Pizzeta
Not sure why this was labeled in the diminutive form, because it was quite large for an appetizer. Anyhow, it was very good. Chez Panisse has some of the best pizza outside of New York, complete with a crispy thin crust.
Stuffed Squid in Ink Sauce with Artichoke Salad and Beets
The squid were very tender and the sides were interesting and tasty.
Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Pizza
This was another tasty pizza, with a super crispy crust. For some reason, despite falling into a nettle patch as a child, I'm always drawn to eating nettles.
Chocolate Ganache Tart with Whipped Cream and Pistachio
This was super chocolately and very rich. It should have been served with more whipped cream.
Blood Orange, Fennel and Olive Salad
This was simple and delicious. The sweetness of the oranges truly complemented the anise notes of the fennel and the bright, dill infused, dressing was an inspired addition.
Serrano Ham and Cheese Pizzeta
Not sure why this was labeled in the diminutive form, because it was quite large for an appetizer. Anyhow, it was very good. Chez Panisse has some of the best pizza outside of New York, complete with a crispy thin crust.
Stuffed Squid in Ink Sauce with Artichoke Salad and Beets
The squid were very tender and the sides were interesting and tasty.
Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Pizza
This was another tasty pizza, with a super crispy crust. For some reason, despite falling into a nettle patch as a child, I'm always drawn to eating nettles.
Chocolate Ganache Tart with Whipped Cream and Pistachio
This was super chocolately and very rich. It should have been served with more whipped cream.
Labels: decor: 3, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Miso Udon with Beef
Thirty-nine cent packages of instant udon are a great thing to have around. For this quick meal, I simply made a quick miso soup, then added the instant udon and sliced of leftover grilled tri-tip. This week I seem to be reinventing leftovers all over the place.
Labels: beef, dinner recipes, homemade, Japanese, noodles, soup
Friday, January 16, 2009
Upscale Mexican at Maya, San Francisco, CA
I'd been to Maya once before and hadn't been tempted to go back. But it's close to my work and I went with a coworker. It was a bit better than I remembered, but still quite expensive for Mexican food.
Guacamole $9
The guacamole was tasty, if a bit salty. It didn't stop us from eating it all, though.
Skirt Steak Torta $13
Once I took 1/2 the bread off, this was a tasty sandwich, although, it necessitated being eaten with a knife and fork. The fried potatoes were surprisingly tasty.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Maya
303 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Guacamole $9
The guacamole was tasty, if a bit salty. It didn't stop us from eating it all, though.
Skirt Steak Torta $13
Once I took 1/2 the bread off, this was a tasty sandwich, although, it necessitated being eaten with a knife and fork. The fried potatoes were surprisingly tasty.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Maya
303 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, Mexican, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Pretty Good Thai at Osha, San Francisco, CA
After some football watching at the bar, we headed to Osha next door for a quick meal before going home.
Spring Rolls $9
These were just ok. The wrapper was a bit thick.
Spicy Catfish $16
This was a tad sweet, but overall, very tasty.
Shrimp Paste Fried Rice $12
This is better at the Tenderloin location. For some reason at this location they add frozen peas and carrots, which is just weird.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Osha Thai
149 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Spring Rolls $9
These were just ok. The wrapper was a bit thick.
Spicy Catfish $16
This was a tad sweet, but overall, very tasty.
Shrimp Paste Fried Rice $12
This is better at the Tenderloin location. For some reason at this location they add frozen peas and carrots, which is just weird.
Food: 1
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Osha Thai
149 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Pasta with Lamb Ragu and Cucumber-Tomato Salad
This was a quick meal that reinvented some leftover lamb stew. Alexis simply reheated the lamb stew and tossed it with some pasta. The salad was simply cucumbers and tomatoes, tossed with a homemade vinaigrette.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, lamb, pasta, salad
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Peach-Dijon Lamb Chops with Parmasan Green Beans
Use of the George Foreman makes this meal super-quick to get on the table.
Peach-Dijon Lamb Chops
-8 lamb chops (cut from a rack)
-2 tb dijon
-3 tb peach nectar
-salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the lamb chops in a mixture of the other ingredients. Then cook on the George Foreman for about 5 minutes.
Parmasan Green Beans
-1 lb green beans, trimmed
-salt and pepper to taste
-handful of grated parmasan
Sautee the beans in a bit of olive oil over medium high heat until tender. Season with salt and pepper. When tender, plate and sprinkle on the cheese.
Labels: dinner recipes, green beans, homemade, lamb
Bagels, and Whitefish, Too! at House of Bagels, San Francisco, CA
We were craving some bagels and we heard House of Bagels had whitefish salad, so we decided to give it a shot. It was very satisfying.
Toasted Everything Bagel with Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese $3
Chewy, warm and tasty. The cream cheese was a little thin, strangely.
Toasted Everything Bagel with Whitefish, Tomato and Onion $5
You really can't get whitefish salad very many places in San Francisco, and this was a pleasant surprise.
Toasted Everything Bagel with Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese $3
Chewy, warm and tasty. The cream cheese was a little thin, strangely.
Toasted Everything Bagel with Whitefish, Tomato and Onion $5
You really can't get whitefish salad very many places in San Francisco, and this was a pleasant surprise.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
House of Bagels
5030 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118
Health Code Violations
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
House of Bagels
5030 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 0, deli, Food: 1, review, Service: 1
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