Saturday, August 19, 2006
Dinner at EcoAmazonia Lodge, Peru
Soup of Unknown Origin
This was a salty, gelatinous soup of what tasted like some sort of generic vegetable.
Fish (dry), Potatos and Rice (we didn't eat them)
Pineapple in light syrup.
A bit too sweet and canned tasting.
Lunch at EcoAmazonia Lodge, Peru
We went to an eco-lodge in the jungle and thus didn't have a whole lot of choice in the foods we were served.
Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflour, Beans and Chicken
Lukewarm and the chicken was a bit dry.
Ratings:
Decor: 1 (it was an open air cafeteria in the jungle, so it is hard to judge decor)
Food: 0
Service: NA (mostly buffet style)
Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflour, Beans and Chicken
Lukewarm and the chicken was a bit dry.
Ratings:
Decor: 1 (it was an open air cafeteria in the jungle, so it is hard to judge decor)
Food: 0
Service: NA (mostly buffet style)
Lunch at Roadside Food Stand, Puerto Maldanado, Peru
After being picked up at the airport in Puerto Maldonado by the staff from the EcoAmazonia Lodge, we were dropped off near the office for an hour or so before travelling to the jungle. We were quite hungry and none of the restaurants were open for lunch yet (it was 11 am), we after circling the small town a couple of times, we decided on one of the roadside stands serving ceviche. The total cost of the 2 part meal was approx. $1 per person.
Fish Broth with Roasted Corn
Very fishy and oddly good.
Ceviche
This was a very tart version of ceviche, but the acid was offset by the sweet potato, the yuca and more roasted corn. The sweet potato was quite nice, but we didn't care much for the boiled yuca.
Fish Broth with Roasted Corn
Very fishy and oddly good.
Ceviche
This was a very tart version of ceviche, but the acid was offset by the sweet potato, the yuca and more roasted corn. The sweet potato was quite nice, but we didn't care much for the boiled yuca.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Dinner at Mediteraneo Chicken, Lima Airport
We arrived at the Lima airport around midnight and were very hungry due to the fairly gross food on the plane. There were a handful of places open, and this chicken place looked best. It wasn't bad, for airport food.
Empanada de Carne $1
Tasted like a Jamaican beef patty, a bit slimy on the inside.
Rotisserie Chicken $4
Moist and relatively flavorful.
Chicken Nuggets $3
These were made with real chicken, and it was very moist. There was a bit too much breading for our taste.
Empanada de Carne $1
Tasted like a Jamaican beef patty, a bit slimy on the inside.
Rotisserie Chicken $4
Moist and relatively flavorful.
Chicken Nuggets $3
These were made with real chicken, and it was very moist. There was a bit too much breading for our taste.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0 (airport food court)
Service: NA (counter)
Food: 1
Decor: 0 (airport food court)
Service: NA (counter)
Snack on LanPeru Flight
Melted Ham and Cheese Sandwich
We removed the bread and supplemented with our own cheese. The fruit was ok though.
We removed the bread and supplemented with our own cheese. The fruit was ok though.
Lunch on LanPeru Flight
Beef with Mushrooms
A bit gloppy, but not inedible. The salad either had dirt or a tasteless spice on it, but we ate it anyway. We didn't eat the dessert or the bread.
Breakfast at Home
Scramble made from leftover spinach and sausage from last night's dinner. Since we were leaving for over a week, it was necessary to try to use up all the scraps in the house. I think the scramble version was actually better than the dinner itself.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Dinner at Home
We are preparing for our trip to Peru, so a super quick dinner was in order...
Sausage, Spinach and Tomatos
I used chicken sausages from Costco, and spinach and tomatos (because they were the only perishables left in the house) to make a quick sautee. The salt from the sausage serves to salt the vegetables.
Sausage, Spinach and Tomatos
I used chicken sausages from Costco, and spinach and tomatos (because they were the only perishables left in the house) to make a quick sautee. The salt from the sausage serves to salt the vegetables.
Leftover Cream of Fennel Soup
Lunch at Taylor's Automatic Refresher and San Francisco Fish Company, San Francisco, CA
We had some incompatible palates today, so when we got to the Embarcedero, Giao headed for the San Francisco Fish Company, while Alexis made due with the old stand-by, Taylors.
Ahi Tuna Poke - $8.36
Fresh, but standard.
Gumbo - $7
Tasty Gumbo, without too much rice. It should have been served hotter though.
Bacon Cheeseburger $8
Pretty good today, actually.
Beer Battered Onion Rings $3
The small super crispy ones are the best. These are so filling you can only eat half of the serving.
Ahi Tuna Poke - $8.36
Fresh, but standard.
Gumbo - $7Tasty Gumbo, without too much rice. It should have been served hotter though.
Bacon Cheeseburger $8
Pretty good today, actually.
Beer Battered Onion Rings $3
The small super crispy ones are the best. These are so filling you can only eat half of the serving.
Breakfast at Home
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Dinner at Home
We had some friends over for a nice, mid week meal.
Cream of Fennel Soup
This was creamy and sublte. A very nice start to a meal.
Lemon Sage Chicken with Grilled Asparagus
Very easy and quick.
Cream of Fennel Soup
This was creamy and sublte. A very nice start to a meal.
-1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
-1 large turnip, peeled and cubed
-1 large onion, roughly chopped
-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
-4 cans chicken stock
-1 cup heavy cream
-salt and pepper to taste
Carmelize the vegetables in a bit of olive oil. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, until turnips are soft (about 20 minutes). Puree with an immersion blender. Add the cream. Serve.
-1 large turnip, peeled and cubed
-1 large onion, roughly chopped
-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
-4 cans chicken stock
-1 cup heavy cream
-salt and pepper to taste
Carmelize the vegetables in a bit of olive oil. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, until turnips are soft (about 20 minutes). Puree with an immersion blender. Add the cream. Serve.
Lemon Sage Chicken with Grilled Asparagus
Very easy and quick.
-16 chicken thighs, cut in bite sized pieces
-1 large onion, thinly sliced
-1 head garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (not minced)
-4 sprigs of fresh sage, leave removed and chopped
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste
Carmelize the onions and garlic. Add the chicken and brown. Add the sage and lemon juice and sautee a couple minutes more, until chicken is cooked through. Serve.
The asparagus were simply salted and grilled in the George Forman...
-1 large onion, thinly sliced
-1 head garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (not minced)
-4 sprigs of fresh sage, leave removed and chopped
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste
Carmelize the onions and garlic. Add the chicken and brown. Add the sage and lemon juice and sautee a couple minutes more, until chicken is cooked through. Serve.
The asparagus were simply salted and grilled in the George Forman...
Fresh Blackberries, Strawberries and Raspberries
The perfect way to end a mile.
The perfect way to end a mile.
Lunch at Canton Seafood & Dim Sum Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Cocktail Snacks at Jillian's San Francisco, CA
We went to a Linux World Conference party for the free food and drinks after work today...
Chicken Wings, Egg Rolls and Potstickers
OK, for free food.
Chicken Wings, Egg Rolls and Potstickers
OK, for free food.
Lunch at Bong Su, San Francisco, CA
When we say the build out starting for Bong Su, we were interested, since it was replacing the dreadful Mel's. It opened up about two and half months ago, and Giao had a chance to go. During the morning it is very hard to tell it was open because of the window decoration, but when you went in, it was opulently, if a bit fakely, decorated. For dinners, I would imagine that light would identify it better as being open.
There was a set lunch menu for $16, which you could pick a starter and appetizer. Everything looked so good that we decided to share a few ala carte dishes. The cuisine was contempory Vietnamese, comparable to Slanted Door. In general it was a better meal at cheaper price that it's Embarcadero competition.
Duck Mustard Wraps - $8
These wraps were good, extremely evocative of it's Vietnamese roots, but combining it with freshness and classiness.
Goi Kampachi - $12
Giao was a bit skeptical of how they would pull off this more Japanese inspired sashimi dish, but the combination of flavors was delectable.
Shaking Beef - $21
Perhaps the only mis-step we encountered, though the meat was tender, the dish was formulaic and uninspired.
Basil Tofu - $7
This time taking a page from the Thai, this dish combined the ever loved crispy basil with well seasoned tofu.
Caramelized Black Cod - $7
Though Giao was initially sad to see that they didn't have a Catfish Claypot, this dish was a welcome stand-in. The fish was flaky and tender.
There was a set lunch menu for $16, which you could pick a starter and appetizer. Everything looked so good that we decided to share a few ala carte dishes. The cuisine was contempory Vietnamese, comparable to Slanted Door. In general it was a better meal at cheaper price that it's Embarcadero competition.
Duck Mustard Wraps - $8
Goi Kampachi - $12
Giao was a bit skeptical of how they would pull off this more Japanese inspired sashimi dish, but the combination of flavors was delectable.
Shaking Beef - $21
Perhaps the only mis-step we encountered, though the meat was tender, the dish was formulaic and uninspired.
Basil Tofu - $7
This time taking a page from the Thai, this dish combined the ever loved crispy basil with well seasoned tofu.
Caramelized Black Cod - $7
Though Giao was initially sad to see that they didn't have a Catfish Claypot, this dish was a welcome stand-in. The fish was flaky and tender.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Dinner at Home
Tofu, Spinach and Baby Corn Stir Fry
A quick, weeknight stir-fry.
Marinade
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
-2 tb oyster sauce
-2 tb rice vinager
-2 packets Splenda
-1 tb olive oil
-1 tb sesame oil
-1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
-2 tb oyster sauce
-2 tb rice vinager
-2 packets Splenda
-1 tb olive oil
-1 tb sesame oil
2 blocks tofu, pressed and diced
1 lb spinach
1 can baby corn, cut in half
Marinate the tofu in the marinade for an hour. Sautee the tofu until browned, reserving the extra marindae. Add the spinach, baby corn and the rest of the marinade and sautee until spinach is wilted. Serve.
Lunch at Work
Breakfast at XYZ, San Francisco, CA
Giao had a early breakfast meeting, that was held at XYZ, the restaurant at the W. The service was exemplery, with the highlight being when the waiter ran halfway down the street to return a camera that Giao had forgotten. It's a bit pricey, but Giao didn't care as he wasn't paying for it.
Eggs Benedict with Salmon - Nice formulation. The toast looked particulary tasty, but of course Giao did not partake.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Dinner at Home
Turkey Mushroom Stroganoff with Mixed Green Salad
This was an attempt at using konnyaku noodles in a non-asian preparation. It was pretty good.
-4 packages konnyaku linguini, par boiled for 3 minutes
-1 lb ground turkey
-1 lb thinly sliced mushrooms
-1 handful of fresh sage, minced
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-1 cup heavy cream
-10 cloves garlic, minced
-1 onion, diced
-1 tb paprika
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup chicken stock
Sautee the onion, garlic and turkey together until browned. Drain and set aside. In the same pan sautee mushrooms until soft and browned (make sure to season as you go). Set aside. Put the chicken stock and linguini in the same pan and simmer until the liquid is evaporated and the linguini has absorbed the chicken flavor. Add the turkey and mushrooms back into the pan with all the remaining ingredients and simmer until a thick sauce has formed. Serve.
-1 lb ground turkey
-1 lb thinly sliced mushrooms
-1 handful of fresh sage, minced
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-1 cup heavy cream
-10 cloves garlic, minced
-1 onion, diced
-1 tb paprika
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup chicken stock
Sautee the onion, garlic and turkey together until browned. Drain and set aside. In the same pan sautee mushrooms until soft and browned (make sure to season as you go). Set aside. Put the chicken stock and linguini in the same pan and simmer until the liquid is evaporated and the linguini has absorbed the chicken flavor. Add the turkey and mushrooms back into the pan with all the remaining ingredients and simmer until a thick sauce has formed. Serve.
Brunch at Home
Miso-Chili-Lemon Chicken Salad
This is a simple, refreshing chicken salad served on a bed of mixed greens.
Dressing (for about a 1/2 rotisserie chicken's worth of chicken)
-1/4 cup mayo
-2 tb miso
-1 tb rooster sauce
-juice of 1/2 lemon
Thoroughly mix ingredients and toss with chicken and 1/2 small, diced onion.
-1/4 cup mayo
-2 tb miso
-1 tb rooster sauce
-juice of 1/2 lemon
Thoroughly mix ingredients and toss with chicken and 1/2 small, diced onion.
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