Saturday, August 23, 2008

A Quick Dinner at PPQ in San Francisco, CA

We were so hungry on the way home that we stopped off for a quick bite at PPQ, which is just down the block from us and always packed. Since it is always so busy, we assumed that it would be very good. It was good, however, there are plenty of Vietnamese places within a 5 block radius that are better.


Beef Pho $7
The meat was good, but the broth was not full flavored.


Pho with Everything (beef, meatballs, tripe, tendon) $8
Same as above.


Spring Rolls $5
Their sauce was too sweet with not enough savory depth.

Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1

PPQ
1816 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA 94122

No Website
Can't Find Health Code Violations

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chinese Stuffed Eggplant


Armenian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
This salad was simply dressed with balsamic vinegar and salt. There really is something to be said for letting the true flavor of these organic, farm-fresh tomatoes shine through.


Stuffed Eggplant
This is a recipe I learned from our friend, F. My version was not exactly the same as his, but it was tasty.

Meat Mixture:
-1/2 lb ground turkey
-1 egg
-1 tb cornstarch
-salt, to taste
-4 scallions, finely chopped
-1 inch nub ginger, grated

-4 Japanese eggplant

Sauce:
-1/4 cup soy
-2 tb rice vinegar
-2 tb chili garlic sauce
-1 inch nub ginger, grated
-4 scallions, chopped


Mix together all the ingredients in the meat mixture and set aside. Cut the eggplant in coin shapes, alternating 1 cut all the way through the eggplant with 1 cut about 90% through the eggplant. This will leave you with little "coins" about 1/4 inch thick that open like a book. Fill the middle of the coins with the meat mixture to create a sandwich. Fry the meat filled coins in a single layer on both sides until browned. Fry in batches. Set aside. Add all of the fried coins back into the pan. Mix all of the sauce ingredients and pour over the coins. Cover and steam in the sauce for a few minutes. Serve.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich


This was our rendition of an East Coast deli (or breakfast truck) classic. On a toasted Kaiser roll, it was just as we remembered from our pasts, only a little less greasy.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

The Omnivore's 100

From www.verygoodtaste.co.uk comes the Omnivore's 100. Here’s what you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba Ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake


Sunday, August 17, 2008

Dinner at Straits Cafe, Burlingame, CA

After watching (and betting on) some horse races on the last weekend of Bay Meadows, we headed to Straits for some Indonesian/Singaporean food. Really, it's all about the roti prata, however. The service was off tonight. They were slow to bring us menus, slow to take our order, slow to bring food. Also, in the entire restaurant, which is very large, they did not have enough high chairs to bring for our friend's kids.


Roti Prata $7
In the past we have said that the roti pata at Straits is a bit too thick, but today it was very good. And really, roti prata is never bad.


Mussels with Cracked Pepper and Garlic $15
Good, but nothing special.


Hainan Chicken Rice $12
This is comfort food for Singaporeans, and it was for me to tonight for some reason. This is nowhere near the most exciting dish, but there is something oddly satisfying about boiled chicken, rice, and condiments.

Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 0

Straits Cafe

1100 Burlingame Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010

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Lunch at Little Szechuan, San Mateo, CA

We stopped off at Little Szechuan on our way to Bay Meadows for a quick, and very spicy, meal. I'm not sure how much each dish was individually, but I think the meal was around $20 total.

Tendon with Garlic Sauce
This tendon is sliced so thin that even I like it. Somehow, when sliced thin, the super-gelatinous, chewy texture, seems to fade away. The sauce was very tasty too.


Cold Noodles with Pork
Although we ordered these noodles with chicken, they came with pork. The waiter did not apologize, but simply told us that he put the wrong order in and then plunked the dish on the table. In any case, these spicy noodles were quite tasty and the julienne of cucumber was provided a welcome, cooling effect.


Dry Cooked Szechuan Pepper Shrimp
These were so spicy and so delicious. The shrimp were super crispy on the outside, with a very light batter. And the szechuan peppercorn left our mouths numb rather than on fire, which is preferable.

Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 0

Little Szechuan
168 E 4th Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401

No Website

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