Saturday, June 02, 2007
Dinner at Home
Pan Fried New York Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Balsamic Sauteed Red Chard
The steak is marinated in worcestershire sauce and steak seasoning for about a 1/2 hour, then pan fried on medium high for a couple minutes on each side, for medium rare.
The chard was simply chopped and sauteed on medium until wilted, seasoned with salt and pepper and then spritzed with with balsamic vinegar.
Labels: beef, chard, dinner recipes, homemade
Lunch at Home
Edamame
Simply steamed.
Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
From Costco, simple bake on 400 for 20 minutes. Yum.
Labels: chicken, homemade, lunch recipes
Breakfast at Home
Salami, Onion and Bell Pepper Scramble
More veggies, less egg.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade
Friday, June 01, 2007
Snack at Borobudur, San Francisco, CA
Snack from Norton's Vault, San Francisco, CA
Buffalo Wings $7
Since they took the jalapeno poppers off the menu, these are the only good snack left at Norton's. But, they have dice, and table service, so it doesn't matter too much.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 0, pub food, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Lunch from Mehfil Indian Cuisine, San Francisco, CA
Saag Paneer and Chicken Mahkni
The mahkni was better this time, getting back to normal. The saag was good, but the paneer was firmer and squeakier than usual.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, Indian, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Breakfast at Home
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Dinner at Home
Chopped Salad with Balsamic Vinegarette
A nice change to lettuce based salads, but using the same dressing.
-1 jicama, peeled and julienned
-6 small tomatos, diced
-4 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
-2 bell peppers, diced
-1 handful fresh cilantro
-equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, whisked
Mix all ingredients and pour the dressing over it. Stir to coat.
-6 small tomatos, diced
-4 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
-2 bell peppers, diced
-1 handful fresh cilantro
-equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, whisked
Mix all ingredients and pour the dressing over it. Stir to coat.
Brocolli and Cheese Soup
A tasty, thick soup with a cheesy kick.
-3 cans chicken broth
-1 lb brocolli, cut in chunks
-5 garlic cloves, peeled
-1/2 onion, roughly chopped
-1 and 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar, or other cheese with character
-pepper to taste
Sautee the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil until beginning to brown. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the brocolli, cover and simmer until fork-tender, and still bright green. Turn off heat and puree with immersion blender. Add cheese and stir until smooth.
-1 lb brocolli, cut in chunks
-5 garlic cloves, peeled
-1/2 onion, roughly chopped
-1 and 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar, or other cheese with character
-pepper to taste
Sautee the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil until beginning to brown. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the brocolli, cover and simmer until fork-tender, and still bright green. Turn off heat and puree with immersion blender. Add cheese and stir until smooth.
Pesto Chicken
A quick and flavorful chicken dish made with homemade pesto that was made weeks ago and frozen.
-12 chicken thighs, cut in bite sized chunks
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup homemade pesto
-1/2 cup grated parmasean
Sautee chicken until brown and cooked through. Remove from heat and add pesto. Stir to coat. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with grated parmasean.
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup homemade pesto
-1/2 cup grated parmasean
Sautee chicken until brown and cooked through. Remove from heat and add pesto. Stir to coat. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with grated parmasean.
Fresh Strawberries
Mmm. It's finally strawberry season, and you remember what a real strawberry tastes like (and wonder why you eat strawberries the rest of the year).
Brandy Whipped Cream
1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tb brandy, 1 ts vanilla, 1 packet of Splenda, whipped.
Labels: brocolli, chicken, dinner recipes, homemade, salad, soup
Lunch at Work
Leftover Shrimp, Noodles and Brocolli in Spicy Broth
This held up better than leftover shrimp usually do.
Labels: fish, homemade, leftovers, salad, shrimp
Breakfast at Home
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Dinner at Rubicon, San Francisco, CA
We ended up getting a last minute free screening to a movie that let out around 9:30pm. Since we didn't want to wait another hour and a 1/2 for Alexis to go home and cook, we were tasked with finding someplace open in the financial district on a Wednesday night. We found Rubicon, a place we certainly know of, yet had never been to. We were very pleasantly surprised. The food was inspired and interesting, yet not gimicky. The chef used ingredients in unexpected ways, with great results. Everything was tasty. And the service was excellent as well. We were seated immediately with no reservation near the end of the night. Not only did the chef send out a course for us on the house, he also came out to speak with us (and he appeared to be making the rounds, speaking with everyone).
Amuse Bouche (gratuit)
Essentially and olive mini-muffin with a goat cheese mousse, sprinkled with salt and pepper. The mousse was amazing--airy, smooth, tangy. The flavor of olive bread sort of got lost in the goat cheese and salt though. However, it did what an amuse should do, and that's to awaken the palate.
Fried Duck Egg with Morels, Ramps and Watercress $14
Instead of being a flat egg, fried in a pan, this egg had the shape of a poached egg, which I would assume was because it had either been deep-fried. Anyway, it was tasty. The dish was also chock full of whole morels, which was a pleasant surprise. This was a solid dish.
Marinated Geoduck with Golden Beets, Pine Nuts, Mint and Olives $15
When we saw geoduck on the menu we just had to order it because we've never seen it at a non-Chinese restaurant. We were excited to taste it in a different style. This dish was interesting for sure, but we didn't love it. Giao didn't like the olives, Alexis didn't like the pinenuts (although we like these ingredients, in general), but both agreed that the mint really brought the dish together.
Yellowtail Sashimi with Dill, Peas and Quinoa $17
This was really, really good. The fish was fresh, the addition of a grain (quinoa, the "it" ingredient these days), was refreshing. Amazingly, the dill did not overpower this dish.
Shaved Porcini and Foie Gras with Blueberries, Smoked Salt, Basil and Vinegar
(Gratuit for us, as the chef sent it out as a gift, but generally $18)
You rarely every see the use of fresh mushrooms, uncooked, but these firm, thin slices paired perfectly with the soft foie gras. The halved blueberries added visual interest and also provided the subtle sweetness that foie gras begs for.
Roasted Guinea Hen $28
A surprisingly large portion of succulent, juicy poultry. This guinea hen was paired with a ragout of sweetbreads, bacon and more whole morels. We rarely ever order poultry in restaurants for some reason, but this time we were very glad we broke tradition.
Duck and Foie Gras with Toasted Fennel, Asparagus, Cipollini and Orange Peel $29
The duck was juicy and tasty, and the very thin (and it seemed poached) orange peel added a great flavor with surprisingly little bitterness. We weren't quite sure if the seared foie gras was blackened on purpose, but it was good just the same.
Cheese Plate $15
This was the best deal for a cheese plate that we've seen in a while. There was at least an ounce, maybe 2, of 5 cheeses we hadn't had before. All were interesting, and delicious, even if we can't remember their names.
Sesame Shortbread and Rosemary Truffle (gratuit)
A very pleasant send-off, the shortbread was crumbly and flavorful, and the rosemary stoof up quite well to the bitter tones of the cocoa.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Service: 2
Decor: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Amuse Bouche (gratuit)
Essentially and olive mini-muffin with a goat cheese mousse, sprinkled with salt and pepper. The mousse was amazing--airy, smooth, tangy. The flavor of olive bread sort of got lost in the goat cheese and salt though. However, it did what an amuse should do, and that's to awaken the palate.
Fried Duck Egg with Morels, Ramps and Watercress $14
Instead of being a flat egg, fried in a pan, this egg had the shape of a poached egg, which I would assume was because it had either been deep-fried. Anyway, it was tasty. The dish was also chock full of whole morels, which was a pleasant surprise. This was a solid dish.
Marinated Geoduck with Golden Beets, Pine Nuts, Mint and Olives $15
When we saw geoduck on the menu we just had to order it because we've never seen it at a non-Chinese restaurant. We were excited to taste it in a different style. This dish was interesting for sure, but we didn't love it. Giao didn't like the olives, Alexis didn't like the pinenuts (although we like these ingredients, in general), but both agreed that the mint really brought the dish together.
Yellowtail Sashimi with Dill, Peas and Quinoa $17
This was really, really good. The fish was fresh, the addition of a grain (quinoa, the "it" ingredient these days), was refreshing. Amazingly, the dill did not overpower this dish.
Shaved Porcini and Foie Gras with Blueberries, Smoked Salt, Basil and Vinegar
(Gratuit for us, as the chef sent it out as a gift, but generally $18)
You rarely every see the use of fresh mushrooms, uncooked, but these firm, thin slices paired perfectly with the soft foie gras. The halved blueberries added visual interest and also provided the subtle sweetness that foie gras begs for.
Roasted Guinea Hen $28
A surprisingly large portion of succulent, juicy poultry. This guinea hen was paired with a ragout of sweetbreads, bacon and more whole morels. We rarely ever order poultry in restaurants for some reason, but this time we were very glad we broke tradition.
Duck and Foie Gras with Toasted Fennel, Asparagus, Cipollini and Orange Peel $29
The duck was juicy and tasty, and the very thin (and it seemed poached) orange peel added a great flavor with surprisingly little bitterness. We weren't quite sure if the seared foie gras was blackened on purpose, but it was good just the same.
Cheese Plate $15
This was the best deal for a cheese plate that we've seen in a while. There was at least an ounce, maybe 2, of 5 cheeses we hadn't had before. All were interesting, and delicious, even if we can't remember their names.
Sesame Shortbread and Rosemary Truffle (gratuit)
A very pleasant send-off, the shortbread was crumbly and flavorful, and the rosemary stoof up quite well to the bitter tones of the cocoa.
Food: 2
Service: 2
Decor: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Lunch from Manhattan Hub
Philly Cheese Steak with Extra Meat and Extra Cheese
Decent, but it was cold by the time Alexis ate it.
Chicken Cheese Steak and Steak Cheese Steak $12Giao always gets 2 and shoves all the meat into one bun, and then doesn't eat the bun anyway.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review
Breakfast at Home
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Lunch at Home
Leftover Quiche and Salmon Salad with Mixed Greens
We froze these quiche a few weeks ago, and they reheated nicely. The salmon salad is prepared in the same manner as tuna salad. Click above for the recipes for each.
Labels: eggs, homemade, leftovers, lunch recipes, salad
Breakfast at Home
Dinner at Home
Shrimp, Noodles and Brocolli in Spicy Broth
A favorite, super-easy, weeknight meal. And very healthy, made with very little added fat.
-3 packages shirataki noodles, par boiled for 2 minutes
-1 lb shrimp, peeled
-1 onion, thinly sliced
-10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
-1 lb brocolli flowerettes
-3 cans chicken broth
-2 tb soy sauce and chili garlic sauce
-1 tb fish sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce
Sautee the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil, the soy sauce and the chili sauce. When onions begin to soften, add the noodles and stir to coat. Then add the broth and the rest of the sauces and simmer, covered for 20 mintutes or so. Add the shrimp and brocolli and cook until both are tender, just a couple of minutes.
-1 lb shrimp, peeled
-1 onion, thinly sliced
-10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
-1 lb brocolli flowerettes
-3 cans chicken broth
-2 tb soy sauce and chili garlic sauce
-1 tb fish sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce
Sautee the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil, the soy sauce and the chili sauce. When onions begin to soften, add the noodles and stir to coat. Then add the broth and the rest of the sauces and simmer, covered for 20 mintutes or so. Add the shrimp and brocolli and cook until both are tender, just a couple of minutes.
Labels: brocolli, dinner recipes, homemade, shirataki noodles, shrimp
Monday, May 28, 2007
Dinner at Banana Leaf Restaurant, Milpitas, CA
On our way back from Santa Cruz we met some friends for dinner at a Singaporean/Malaysian place. We can never resist and opportunity too try a new version of roti prata.
Curry Dipping Sauce (served with roti prata, below)
Very tasty--earthy, spicy. This curry was the most like the roti prata curries we found in Singapore.
Roti Prata $3
A bit to thin and with a touch of sweetness we were not particularly fond of.
Sea Bass in Tamarind Sauce $21
Not as good as it was expensive. The sauce was nice and spicy with a sweet tang from the tamarind. The long beans and eggplant were tasty, but the okra was a bit slimy, as okra tends to be.
Chili Prawns $12
We were warned that this would be really spicy, but it was hardly spicy at all. The egg in the sauce was a bit strange, but not in a bad way.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Curry Dipping Sauce (served with roti prata, below)
Very tasty--earthy, spicy. This curry was the most like the roti prata curries we found in Singapore.
Roti Prata $3
A bit to thin and with a touch of sweetness we were not particularly fond of.
Sea Bass in Tamarind Sauce $21
Not as good as it was expensive. The sauce was nice and spicy with a sweet tang from the tamarind. The long beans and eggplant were tasty, but the okra was a bit slimy, as okra tends to be.
Chili Prawns $12
We were warned that this would be really spicy, but it was hardly spicy at all. The egg in the sauce was a bit strange, but not in a bad way.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 1, Singaporean
Snack at El PaisanoTamales, Santa Cruz, CA
After walking around on the boardwalk for a while and spending some time on the beach, we passed a Mexican place advertising "Menudu Today". Giao simply couldn't resist.
Menudo $6
Very tasty broth. Full of tripe, but not much else. The raw onions were a nice addition.
Menudo $6
Very tasty broth. Full of tripe, but not much else. The raw onions were a nice addition.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, Mexican, restaurant, review
Brunch at Linda's Seabreeze Cafe, Santa Cruz, CA
We decided to go to Linda's Seabreeze Cafe for brunch, a place we'd read about and seemed to have a bit of hype surounding it. We arrived with high hopes at around 12:30pm on a Memorial Day to a very large waiting list, abour 45 minutes long, and dozens of people milling about outside, waiting for a table and drinking coffee. When we finally sat down to eat, however, we were sorely disappointed. The food was mediocre at best, certainly not worth the wait. Quite frankly, we can't see why this place has regulars at all.
Tomato and Basil Soup (substituted for breakfast potatos and toast with our breakfasts)
Sorely lacking salt.
Habenero Chicken Sausage Scramble with Mushrooms and Scallions $7.50
Bland. Alexis had to slather it in salsa to get it down.
Steak and Eggs $10.25
Chewy, poor quality steak. Decent eggs, but really, how can you screw that up?
Tomato and Basil Soup (substituted for breakfast potatos and toast with our breakfasts)
Sorely lacking salt.
Habenero Chicken Sausage Scramble with Mushrooms and Scallions $7.50
Bland. Alexis had to slather it in salsa to get it down.
Steak and Eggs $10.25
Chewy, poor quality steak. Decent eggs, but really, how can you screw that up?
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 0, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Dinner at Blue Water Steakhouse, Capitola, CA
We got a recommendation for this place from the front desk of our hotel and after doing a full circle of the tiny Capitola downtown, it looked like our best shot at a decent meal. The food was decent, but it was pretty darn expensive for what it was. Also, the service left something to be desired. Our drinks took forever. They brought the wrong side for Giao and instead of simply bringing a new side, they removed his place and replaced the side, leaving Alexis with her plate getting cold at the table waiting for Giao's to return, no doubt cooling down on the way. The final straw was that Giao asked how much the addition of a lobster tail would be to his plate and the waitress didn't know, then quoted what she thought was the price and said she'd go double check. She never came back with a different price, so we though it would be what she quoted. When we got the bill, it was 30% more than she had quoted--a price Giao certainly would not have paid had he known beforehand.
NY Strip Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce
served with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Sweet Corn $29
The steak was decent. The sauce could have had a bit more horseradish and a bit less cream. The corn tasted like it came from a can. The creamed spinach was ok, but Alexis makes it better.
Filet Mignon with Baked Mac n' Cheese and Creamed Spinach $32
with Lobster Tail $34 (?!?)
The filet was tender, and the lobster tail pretty delicious, but the creamed spinach and mac n' cheese were nothing special.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 0
Website
Can't Find Health Code Violations
NY Strip Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce
served with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Sweet Corn $29
The steak was decent. The sauce could have had a bit more horseradish and a bit less cream. The corn tasted like it came from a can. The creamed spinach was ok, but Alexis makes it better.
Filet Mignon with Baked Mac n' Cheese and Creamed Spinach $32
with Lobster Tail $34 (?!?)
The filet was tender, and the lobster tail pretty delicious, but the creamed spinach and mac n' cheese were nothing special.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 0
Website
Can't Find Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 0
BBQ in Aptos, CA
We drove to Aptos, right outside Santa Cruz, to participate in a beach Bocce Ball tournament and BBQ.
Fruit, Nuts, Chocolate Covered Almonds, Turkey and Cheese Wraps
Costco style. The fruit was very tasty.
Hummous and Fresh Veggies
Also Costco style. Can't go wrong with fresh veggies.
Salad and Pasta Salad
Pesto was oddly bland. Salad was salad.
Burgers and Sausages
Giao loves to grill and spent some quality time at this one. The huge burgers were quite good, although they took a while to cook. The chicken sausages were so-so.
Cheeseburger
Mmm. Nothing's better than a big, fat burger, cooked on the grill.
Fruit, Nuts, Chocolate Covered Almonds, Turkey and Cheese Wraps
Costco style. The fruit was very tasty.
Hummous and Fresh Veggies
Also Costco style. Can't go wrong with fresh veggies.
Salad and Pasta Salad
Pesto was oddly bland. Salad was salad.
Burgers and Sausages
Giao loves to grill and spent some quality time at this one. The huge burgers were quite good, although they took a while to cook. The chicken sausages were so-so.
Cheeseburger
Mmm. Nothing's better than a big, fat burger, cooked on the grill.
Labels: BBQ, beef, homemade, salad
Breakfast at Home
Salami and Cheese Scramble with Leftover Chopped Salad
The eggs were good, but the salad didn't hold up so well.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, leftovers, salad
Features:
Alexis' Cookbook
Our Favorite Kitchen Tools
More Useful Kitchen Tools
SeeUsEat 2006 Awards
Roti Round-Up
Burger Battle
Fried Chicken Challenge
Video: Chupaqueso
Video: Zuchinni Lasagna
Cuisine:
Austrian
Chinese
Cuban
Dim Sum
Ethiopian
French
German
Indian
Japanese
Mexican
Middle Eastern
Noveau American
Nueva Latino
Pub Food
Regional American
Singaporean
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
