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Magic at Three Broomsticks

I haven't been to any major theme parks in over a decade, mainly because of how much they cost, from tickets alone to parking, there are so many add-on costs. The one cost that I used to hate the most is the food. Mediocre and bland food that costs as much as a fine dining experience is what I experienced as a teenager. I'm not sure when this changed, but I do recall being very impressed dining at Disney's Carthay Circle several years ago. The other major theme park, Universal Studios, has really grown over the years, and they have also stepped up their dining options.

We recently visited Universal Studios Hollywood because of their newly launched Super Nintendo World. We wanted to make a certain die-hard Super Mario fan happy and took him to experience this newest expansion, which also has a cute cafe. Unfortunately for us, we were unsuccessful in snagging a reservation, which got scooped up very quickly for the day. We opted instead to try Three Broomsticks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and this turned out to be such a wise decision. First of all, no reservations. We simply walked up to the line (which was surprisingly short - perhaps a 10-minute wait) and grabbed an open table. The food was British-themed, which I typically enjoy.

The food portion was unexpectedly generous. We got Bangers and Mash and the Shepherd's Pie, split among two adults and a child. The sausages were good and savory, but I was surprised to find my favorite item on the plate was the roasted tomato. It was tart and sweet, and the acidity just cut through some of the heaviness of the rest of the plate. The Shepherd's Pie had a similar flavor profile - the cooks (or house elves?) probably used the same gravy in both dishes. Nevertheless, the slight difference in texture of the mashed potatoes in the Shepherd's Pie was good.

For dessert, we got the sticky toffee pudding, which came topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. So in all honesty, we actually started with eating dessert first, as the ice cream would have surely melted completely if we had not done so. Some diners went back in line to order dessert after their lunch, but we also didn't want to bother with that, which was why we ordered everything at once. The sticky toffee pudding was denser than how I make it. Theirs could have passed for a bread pudding even. The pudding was good, but not especially memorable. This was probably because we also had hot butterbeer, the signature drink from the Wizarding World/Harry Potter universe. It was quite good, but incredibly sweet. It probably stole the spotlight from the sticky toffee pudding for us. The sweet upon sweet also gave one grown up (not me) a stomach ache. My recommendation is get either the hot butterbeer or the sticky toffee pudding, but not both. Given that hot butterbeer is available exclusively at Three Broomsticks, I would lean towards the hot butterbeer. (Cold and frozen butterbeer can be found throughout the area.)

I'm not sure Three Broomsticks would do well as a standalone outside the Wizarding World, but at least within the confines of Universal Studios, this should a must-dine location even if you aren't a Potterhead. The cost was reasonable, the food was good, and the staff (at least on the day I visited) were cheerfully in character. I found this to be a charming experience and if I make it back to Universal Studios again, I would go back for some hot butterbeer.

Three Broomsticks 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 Telephone: [phone]

#universal studios #harry potter #three broomsticks #british food

[eatvangelist]

XL Appetite for XLB!

I am a dumpling snob. From perogies to gyozas, I love them all, but everyone has a favorite child no matter how much they protest otherwise, and mine is Xiao Long Bao (XLB) or steamed soup dumplings. For those who haven’t had one, how this differs from other dumplings is the juiciness inside the meat, usually pork.  The proper way to make this requires multiple steps, but here’s the simplified gist of it: start with making your own pork bone broth - the collagen and gelatin from the bones solidify the broth once it cools. Next slice the gelatinous broth into cubes.  These soup cubes get stuffed in the pork filling that goes into making XLB. Gently put them into dumpling wrappers and twist until securely closed and then steam.  Might not be the most ladylike thing to do, but I usually eat one XLB dumpling in a whole bite because I love that soup explosion in my mouth. It also keeps me from making a mess - I’ve seen others take half a bite and the juices spurt all over the place. For me, the gold standard for XLB is Din Tai Fung, which seals up their dumplings with 18 folds. Some argue the restaurant chain is overrated, and I have to agree that is the case on some of their items, but no one does XLB dumplings better than they do.  It doesn’t keep me from trying other places in the hopes there will be other comparable (and cheaper) options though.  Over the weekend, I did just that and tried XLB Dumpling Bar.

I knew XLB Dumpling Bar was not going to be up to par to Din Tai Fung, but how could I not order their specialty? The flavor was not as rich as the ones at Din Tai Fung, but I did get the nice explosion of broth in my mouth with my bite of of the dumpling, which is my number one criterion for XLB. Their dumpling wrapper was also thicker than many other Chinese restaurants.  This made me wonder if XLB Dumpling Bar uses the same wrapper for all their dumplings, just different folding styles.  

Speaking of their other dumplings - one of the reasons I wanted to try XLB Dumpling Bar was because of their more novel dumpling flavors: pizza, al pastor, and curry chicken and corn. I definitely wanted to try one of them, and I was leaning towards pizza, but after checking with the staff, who hinted that was more popular with kids than adults, my friend and I chose the al pastor.  This tasted a bit like a Mexican ravioli to me, which was not a bad thing. I doubt the pork was cooked on a spit-grill, but we did get thick pieces. The peppers and achiote paste added a smoky, earthy taste - which when combined with the pork, really did make me feel like I was eating al pastor. 

What was surprisingly good at XLB Dumpling Bar was their dan dan noodles. Originally, this dish was from Sichuan, which was known for their pepper that left a pleasantly numbing effect. XLB Dumpling Bar made theirs non-spicy, but they did not skimp on the peanut butter and sesame sauce. The wheat noodles had a lovely chewy consistency. The dan dan noodles were an unexpected delight to the meal.

Overall, I enjoyed the visit to XLB Dumpling Bar. The XLB and dumplings in general were not as good as Din Tai Fung, but few restaurants can come close to matching them. XLB Dumpling Bar, however, was far more affordable than the exorbitant prices at Din Tai Fung - almost 50% less in cost! With inflation and costs of everything being so high, I hadn’t returned to Din Tai Fung recently. XLB Dumpling Bar helped satisfy my xiao long bao cravings.

XLB Dumpling Bar 437 S Associated Road Brea, California 92821 Telephone: [phone]

#xlb #xiaolongbao #dumplings

[eatvangelist]

Ad Hoc & Napa Wine Tasting

As I mentioned, last week I visited a couple friends in the Bay Area, and our primary goal was heading to Napa. My friends reserved tastings for us at a couple places where they are members, and I tried (and failed) to get us reservation at The French Laundry but got us a table at Thomas Keller’s more casual restaurant, Ad Hoc. This all seemed simple enough, but it turned into an over-indulgence.

Our first stop was Darioush, which was quite the experience. As soon as we pulled onto the estate, my friends told me to look out the window - I felt like we had driven into a different country! A lit torch in front of the palatial homage to Persepolis signaled the proprietors were home. I really did have that moment of “Where am I?” as I looked around. Inside, we saw the shop that sold not only wines but also olive oil pressed by Darioush, the distillery with steel stills, and a couple salons where guests were comfortably sampling offerings, which made me more excited for our tastings.

Despite the ominous clouds, it was a very pleasant day so we had outdoor seating. When it did start to feel chilly, the staff handed us blankets to stay warm. We had the Signature Mezze, which included a plate of small bites and 5 wine tastings. At first glance, the plate looked quite simple, but with the first bite, you would realize how thoughtful the food was. The bread was baked in their own oven, and it was just the right thickness and size for dipping into the homemade baba ganoush. It had a stronger eggplant flavor than the average baba ganoush and still retained the smooth texture one would expect. The star of the plate was the pomegranate walnut stew with chicken meatball. So this alone was a nice touch, but the clever part was how well the baba ganoush and especially the stew paired with the wines we sampled. In particular, the Shiraz while pleasant was unremarkable, but after tasting the stew and returning to the Shiraz, I was able to taste more fruitiness and richness from the wine. My two favorites at Darioush were their Viognier and dessert wine, named after Darioush’s wife, Shahpar. The Viognier had a lovely aroma that had some floral accents but was not overpowering and the taste was much the same. I usually dislike dessert wines, but Shahpar was phenomenal. It was not syrupy sickening sweet, but just refreshing and left me wanting a sip more. I was also moved by the story about how Darioush created this wine for his wife for their 31st wedding anniversary. From taking in the ambiance and history, learning more about proprietors and their craft, and tasting the wines, Darioush is worth a visit whether or not you are a wine connoisseur.

After Darioush, we headed to lunch at Ad Hoc, which offered a different 3 or 4-course prix fixe menu daily and a couple optional add-ons if so desired. The day we went, there were 3 courses - salad, chilaquiles, and carrot cupcake - and the add-ons were caviar and their buttermilk fried chicken. The plating was served family style for every course. The salad was made of basic mixed greens, but everything else in the plate elevated this first course. The goat cheese was mild but flavorful, the pickled onions were subtly tart, the pistachios added contrasting texture, and the firm blueberries added natural sweetness. This was a great course to whet our appetite.

Chilaquiles, usually low maintenance, but in our dish, hidden under the fried eggs were delicious blocks of pulled pork and crumbled cotija. The pork looked a bit dried out but that was deceptive, as the meat was quite succulent. The egg was a bit more underdone than my preference, but overall everything was good with this entree. The pork though was more filling than I anticipated. I mentioned to my friends that when we were looking over the menu I debated bringing up adding on the fried chicken and was glad we skipped on that since I was starting to feel quite full. As we looked around the restaurant and saw many other tables had ordered the fried chicken, we did have a bit of FOMO but agreed we didn’t need it and weren’t really in the mood for it anyway. Almost as if insulted by our private discussion, out of nowhere, a piece of fried chicken leapt off a plate to slap one of my friends in the face! As mentioned previously, at Ad Hoc, the plating is family style. One server was carrying a plate of fried chicken and as she turned right by our table, the inertia must have toppled an unbalanced piece of chicken, which incredulously smacked my poor friend. Fortunately the chicken was not too hot and she was unharmed. We were all shocked by what had happened, and after confirming multiple times that she was fine, we had a good laugh about it, joking that the fried chicken at Ad Hoc must have felt really indignant about our comments. The server felt horrible about the accident and came over with a plate of fried chicken (not the one she dropped) on the house. We took our revenge on the fried chicken for attacking my friend and were glad that we hadn’t ordered it ourselves - it was definitely good, but there was nothing especially outstanding about it.

Earlier this year, I found myself craving carrot cake and decided to make my own for the first time. It turned out quite successful, and ever since then, I had become very critical of carrot cake. Given my affinity towards Thomas Keller’s baked goods, I was cautiously optimistic about the carrot cupcake. I really wanted this to be good but how satisfying could a cupcake be? Well, very much so because it was the perfect way to end our meal. The carrot cupcake wasn’t too sweet, which was great because the cream cheese frosting on top was very much so, creating a good balance. I even remarked to my friends that with my own carrot cake, I used vegetable oil instead of butter to get the light texture, and while I was happy with my result, it lacked the flavor that using butter would have given. Ad Hoc’s carrot cupcakes had both the right flavor and texture, which led me to hypothesize they used some combination of the two, as butter alone would have made the cupcake dense but what we got was light and fluffy. All in all, Ad Hoc was worth a stop for us - just watch out for the fighting, flying fried chicken.

After our lunch, I was struggling a bit with food coma, but we had one more tasting to get to - Domaine Chandon (of the famed Moët & Chandon champagnes). Since this was Napa/Yountville, only sparkling wine was produced here. The campus was undergoing some construction, but it was clear to see that under normal operations, it would be a beautiful place to relax while enjoying some wine. We were early for our appointment so after checking in, we lounged comfortably under a tree and enjoyed the view there until our table was ready.  Once we were seated, we were asked if we wanted to order any food. We were too full to give the food menu more than a cursory glance out of curiosity though the striped bass crudo and dry aged duck breast with figs popped out to me. None of us were up for more food though so we stayed on course with the wine tastings only. Most notable of all that we tried for me were the Mt. Veeder Brut, Sparkling Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Garden Spritz. The Mt. Veeder had just some subtle sweetness and tickled my palate pleasantly - it was either the first or second wine I tried and made for a good introduction to Chandon. The cab was the one I was most curious about and unfortunately the most disappointing of all the wines I tried that day. I had never had a sparkling red wine before, and Chandon boasted they were the first to make a sparkling cab. The carbonation in the cab really distracted from the taste of the grapes or any other flavors of the wine itself.  The Garden Spritz was the last wine we sampled and I wasn’t very optimistic about it. One of my friends said she had it before and it was actually good, which gave me some hope. It was sweeter than most sparkling wines I liked, but it was refreshing and a delightful way to end our tasting.

We had dinner plans in the area, too, but after Chandon, we were pretty done. I recalled when we started out at Darioush, they asked us our schedule for the day and even commented how our plan was well-paced as many first-time Napa visitors tend to overdo it with trying to visit too many wineries in a day. I thought that was odd at the time, but unbelievably, I felt like we were right on the cusp of “overdoing it” ourselves while there was still so much left to explore. As my friends said, we were leaving things for future visits. I took this as their invitation to host me again. 

Darioush -  4240 Silverado Trail, Napa, California 94558

Ad Hoc -  6476 Washington Street, Yountville, California 94599

Chandon - 1 California Drive, Yountville, California 94599

#Napa Wine Thomas Keller Ad Hoc

[eatvangelist]

I left my stomach in San Francisco

I just got home after spending a few days in the Bay Area.  I was looking for a mini-vacation to celebrate my birthday and didn’t want to venture out too far given all the traveling I did earlier this year.  A couple of friends had invited me up to visit and go drinking in Napa since I had never been. I took them up on their offer over the weekend, and while the goal was Napa, we did spend a day out in San Francisco. I used to go there regularly for work, but I realized it’s been maybe 7 years since my last visit and needed to go back. One of the best parts about my past visits was all the wonderful food, and I definitely wanted to taste some of that again - though this time with a slight twist. On my previous visits, partners took me to trendy (and often overpriced) restaurants. This time, my friends and I focused on more of the casual eats, but it all still turned out quite extravagant!

We started Saturday morning off with a visit to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, which offered so much fresh temptations. Our first stop was getting some Oaxacan coffee from Proyecto Diaz Coffee because nothing happens without caffeine. Then we had to figure out food. There was so much diversity from various cultures. We ultimately narrowed it down to loco moco with bulgogi from Namu Stonepot and smoked salmon latkes from Mark ‘n Mike’s. While not a factor in our decision, the fact the two stands were right next to each other was certainly convenient for us to easily divide and conquer our purchases and save time waiting in the long lines that only grew longer after us.

Both turned out to be great choices. My favorite part of the loco moco was cutting into the egg yolk and watching it ooze over everything underneath. The bulgogi wasn’t too sweet and it contrasted the gravy and egg yolk nicely. The star of our breakfast, however, was the latkes. I was initially concerned that they would be dried out, as the latkes came out more dark brown than golden contrary to the photo advertised at their booth. While they looked darker than I expected, they tasted perfect - very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Also given how soft the texture was for the loco moco, the crunch we got from the latkes was all the more satisfying.

We wandered around the Ferry Building and checked out the rest of the market before making our way to the Presidio Tunnel Tops, which I strongly recommend visiting. The park just opened a few months ago, but it will surely become an attraction destination for locals and visitors alike. We planned our visit to the Presidio Tunnel Tops for one of the events scheduled -  World Arts Dances, which showcased dancers from cultures all over the world. I’m a bit ashamed to confess when I suggested this to my friends, my expectations were fairly low since this was a free local event, but this turned out to be a fantastic program! Granted not all the dancers were great but most were pretty amazing. When we were making our way to the performance area, we did walk through the food trucks present. Just like at the Farmers Market, there was so much diversity in options! My friends were drawn to a few items, but there was only one thing I wanted - bone marrow beef broth. 

A long story short - the night before, my friends got me craving bone marrow. Seeing an Indonesian pop-up stand with a chalkboard promoting bone marrow beef broth was like fate. From when my friend handed me this bowl to the last spoonful, I lost count of the number of times I said “wow.” Visually, my photo failed to capture just how giant the rib bone was. It was so well braised - a bit of char that added a smoky flavor yet succulent and ready to fall of the bone with the gentlest bite. The broth was incredibly rich and had so much depth, and once I spritzed in the lime, the flavor changed again! In addition, I was surprised to find beyond the broth how much was in this dish! We had 6 bakso or beef balls (I later found out it was supposed to be 5 so lucky us for getting an extra), thin noodles AND vermicelli bean thread noodles, some vegetables, and two fried wonton chips. We did have food from some of the other vendors, but the bakso bowl was hands-down the best thing we had at the Presidio Tunnel Tops and even counting our morning at the Farmers Market! After some sleuthing on my part, I found that this Indonesian pop-up is called D’Grobak. They will be at the Presidio Tunnel Tops every Wednesday and Saturday until December, and their bakso can also be ordered online for pick up or delivery.

While none of my San Francisco dining this trip were in an actual restaurant, everything I had was definitely of restaurant quality. I also preferred the places we visited over sitting for an hour or two in a restaurant. Especially after the past couple years dealing with the pandemic, it was so refreshing and rewarding to be out at these outdoor venues and supporting the community.

#San Fransisco #farmers market #presidio tunnel tops #bakso

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Charleston - Husk

While we were in Savannah, we saw that one of the most popular restaurants there was Husk, but we just didn’t have the time to go.  I did read up that the original location was in Charleston, so we made a point to make Husk Charleston one of the places we check out. We did have a minor incident upon arrival - they could not locate our reservation so they would not seat us in the restaurant but rather moved us to the dining area above the bar located in the adjacent building. This actually turned out quite nicely, as we liked the booth we got at the bar and it was actually quieter there than in the restaurant.

We had been eating quite heavy foods on our trip - I mean, it’s Southern Comfort for a reason! We were looking for something light, at least for an appetizer. What caught our eyes immediately were the cornmeal fried oysters salad, served with sliced radish, feta cheese, some boiled egg yolk, and dill buttermilk dressing.  I had unnecessarily worried that the fried oysters would be too greasy or even worse dried out and tasteless. The fried oysters were incredibly delicious - perfectly crusted on the outside, sealing in the natural flavors and creating a wonderful contrast in texture between the crunch exterior and the soft interior.  We also ordered the slow smoked pork ribs with Bourbon BBQ sauce and served with spiced pork rinds. This was quite good - and while I would recommend it, it didn’t impress me nearly as much as the fried oysters. 

For our main we went with the confit duck leg. The meat was quite succulent and the plating was beautiful. If I had to be picky and find fault with anything at all, it was that a couple pieces of the roasted sweet potato were still on the raw side - better that happens with vegetables than with meat! 

For dessert, we started off with a winter citrus tart, which was a new addition to their menu. It was certainly tart - a couple bites would make one pucker up. The olive oil ice cream and toasted meringue weren’t really able to help with that, but we still found this dessert overall refreshing. Our server mentioned that the staff had tried it, too, and also felt it was too tart and gave that feedback to the pastry chef. He then brought us a replacement dessert, their turtle cake, which was made of their chocolate pretzel mousse. It was okay, but we definitely preferred the citrus tart over this, as the turtle cake was just a bit too bland and heavy for our taste. Hopefully the Husk pastry chef has adjusted the citrus tart’s sourness and it’s perfected now, because that is the dessert to order.

All in all we had a good meal at Husk, though it just wasn’t the mind-blowing experience we were expecting. While some things were a bit more expensive, it was really surprising how the menu was overall reasonably priced especially compared to other high-end restaurants in the area. The most expensive item I ordered (and well worth it) was their Bourbon. I don’t recall now how many days it aged in the barrel, but it had a wonderful aroma and tasted very smooth. It is a must have for any whiskey drinker.

Husk Charleston 76 Queen Street Charleston, South Carolina  29401 Phone: [phone] Hours: Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm, Sunday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-11pm

#Charleston #oysters #duck confit #comfort food

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Charleston - Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit

The most memorable experience I had in Charleston was going to Fort Sumter - where the first shots of the American Civil War happened. I was on the first ferry there, which meant I got to see the raising of the flag there. The ranger who spoke gave a vivid retelling of the history of the fort and South Carolina’s secession from the United States, followed by a very inspirational reminder of the liberties for which our flag stand. I was truly moved.  

The ferry to Fort Sumter was at a visitor center a bit out of the way for us, but our hotel shuttle driver was kind enough to go off his route to drop us off there as well as wait for us while we made one little pit stop on our way there. While in the South, we had to get authentic southern biscuits, and we had heard about Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. We asked our shuttle driver about it, and he said, “Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit ain’t so little!” He heard they were good from other passengers and kindly waited for us to get our biscuits at the City Market. before taking us to the visitor center.

Callie’s had a get 3 “mini” biscuits for $6 deal, but they were not small at all. Nevertheless, we got 6 so we can get the general flavor.  We did 3 savory and 3 sweet: black pepper bacon, country ham, cheese and chives, shortcake, cinnamon, and blackberry. The cinnamon and blackberry were our favorites - the savory ones tasted more or less the same, but they were all good.

What were more interesting were the biscuit sandwiches... made with a full size biscuit. I got the special of the day, which was goat cheese with peach jam and some watercress. This was my favorite of all the biscuits. Callie’s biscuits were made with cream cheese, which kept the texture more moist than most biscuits I have had elsewhere, but they still got heavy and filling after a few bites. The goat cheese added to the richness, but the peach jam and its sweetness just made each bite not only go down easier but kept me craving another bite. I also bought a fried chicken biscuit sandwich for our shuttle driver, as despite hearing how good Callie’s was, he had never tried them himself. His assessment was similar to ours - the biscuit was really too much, but he enjoyed it (though ate only half a biscuit) and the fried chicken.

One more thing worth mentioning while I was picking up the biscuits at Callie’s: there was a police officer in line and the older lady who either owns or manages that location told the cashier, “Don’t you dare charge the officer. His biscuit is on me. He puts his life on the line every day to look out for us. This is the least we can do to thank him.” I ended up chatting briefly with her at one point and told her what she did was thoughtful and admirable. She smiled and said it was nothing, what he did was everyday for the community mattered and how that officer had helped them out so much. 

I enjoyed Callie’s biscuits, though if I were a local, I would probably not buy so much at one go though I would be a frequent customer. Great food, great people - what more could you ask for?

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit - City Market Location 188 Meeting Street Charleston, South Carolina 29401 Phone: [phone] Hours: Thursday-Tuesday, 8am-2pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

#Charleston #comfort food #biscuits

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Charleston - Oyster House

As much as we loved Savannah, we had to move on to the next leg of our trip, which landed us not too far away in Charleston. We explored a bit of downtown Charleston and found the overall feel similar to Savannah. A staff member at the hotel we were staying at had recommended some restaurants near the City Market area. Just our luck, however, every single place he had recommended to us was packed - one place estimated 45 minutes to an hour, and it was too cold outside for us to wait. I had just about given up hope when we tried the last restaurant he had pointed out to us - Oyster House. They took us at the bar immediately, and we were fortunate enough to snag a corner booth, which was also the last table available.

At a place called Oyster House, it seemed wrong to not order oysters. We weren’t quite in the mood for oysters though, but we ordered two of the house special that night as they were from South Carolina.  Like the Georgia ones we had at The Grey, these were shaped more narrow and had a similar texture. The E.L. McIntosh we had at The Grey were more delicate and less briny though, which I preferred just marginally more than Oyster House. Nevertheless they were quite good and I was tempted to order more, but we wisely switched to cooked foods instead.

We found more foods similar to what we had in Savannah, but Charleston definitely won these rounds. One thing we discovered while in Savannah was she crab soup. As the name hinted, the soup was made with female crabs, specifically pregnant crabs, for the sweetness of the roe. We first had the she crab soup at The Olde Pink House, which was quite good - creamy with some sweet crabmeat at the bottom of the bowl. Once we got to Charleston, however, we learned that recipe originated here. It was no wonder though, as the Oyster House’s she crab soup was outstanding. While there was succulent crabmeat at the bottom of the bowl here, too, the flavor of the sweet crab flavor permeated throughout the bowl, even in shallow spoons that didn’t have crabmeat. It really made The Olde Pink House’s she crab soup pale in comparison.

The deliciousness didn’t stop with the she crab soup. While we got to enjoy grits at The Olde Pink House, we didn’t get shrimp and grits, so this might not be a fair comparison, but Oyster’s House’s shrimp and grits were really great.  Per their menu, the shrimp and grits were covered in ham gravy, which blended with both the shrimp and the grits well - never overpowering them. We had also ordered the seafood casserole, which was shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, and lobster covered in cheese sauce, baked in a cast iron pan. I wasn’t especially optimistic for this one, but I was glad to be wrong. I was initially skeptical because I worried the cheese sauce was going to be covering up the seafood taste, but each seafood ingredient was flavorful and stood out just fine.

Our first day in Charleston seemed like an extension of our experience in Savannah - great comfort food. While we didn’t try she crab soup at all the Charleston restaurants (and it certainly seemed like every restaurant near City Market had it on their menu), it was certainly a winner at Oyster House. They might be better known for their oysters, but definitely try their other seafood specialties.

Oyster House 35 S Market Street Charleston, South Carolina 29401 Phone: [phone] Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-9:30pm

#charleston #comfort food #seafood

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Savannah - Collins Quarter

From our first day in Savannah, the locals kept recommending Collins Quarter to us, so we knew it would be great. We really couldn’t miss it, as we passed by it every day on our way to Forsyth Park.  The staff there always greeted us warmly. They also had a second location actually in Forsyth Park. We attempted to go to the second location and arrived just as they were closing.  The second location had some of the same pastries, but otherwise was mostly paninis and salads. We decided at some point we would actually return to the original location instead and on our last day in Savannah, we finally made it there for brunch.

I ordered a simple chai tea latte ($5) while my friend got the spiced lavender mocha ($6.50). The chai really hit the spot for me, but it wasn’t anything particularly notable. The spiced lavender mocha, however, was unique. The mocha was not overly chocolatey, but I still would not have thought to pair it with lavender.  The two aromas surprisingly complemented each other.

The star of the show, however, was the Swine Time Beni ($17). Our server had recommended it, but we weren’t completely sold on it... until we saw it arrive two tables down from us. It looked so good that we wanted our own!  Two perfectly poached eggs served on a bed of pulled pork and brioche french toast, slathered in Hollandaise sauce, topped with bacon and jalapeno. I loved piercing the egg and having the yolk run all over the pork and mixing with the Hollandaise.  We soon noticed that pretty much every table had the Swine Time Beni.  One bite and it was easy to understand why this was a brunch favorite.

The Swine Time Beni was really enough for us, but prior to ordering I had heard from one of the locals that the bananas foster french toast ($15) was a must have. We already knew Swine Time Beni was going to be big, so we weren’t sure about ordering this. Our server said we could do a half order, which meant just one slice of french toast instead of two. The bananas weren’t as caramelized as I would have liked, but the candied pecans were just right. Having the bananas foster french toast was a nice contrast to have following the Swine Time Beni.

After {finally) dining at Collins Quarter, we totally understood why this was a local favorite spot and why everyone kept recommending it. We only wish we had enough time (and stomach space) to try them for dinner, too!

Collins Quarter 151 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: [phone] Hours: Monday - Tuesday 8am-3pm,  Wednesday-Sunday 8am-3pm, 5pm-10pm

#savannah #comfort food #brunch

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Savannah - The Olde Pink House

While we were on the hunt for the best fried chicken in Savannah, we heard of Mrs. Wilke’s Dining Room, but alas when we got there, they were closed for vacation (apparently they close every January). We were so dismayed and looked for the next top recommendation in Savannah, which was The Olde Pink House. This was a place hard to get reservations for because it was so popular, but luck was finally on our side, and we scored a reservation for lunch 15 minutes before our arrival. 

Upon entering, it was hard not to take in the beauty of The Olde Pink House. Each dining room had so much character. When our server came, we were given a sheet on the history about the house, including how it got its name. (Spoiler alert: the brick bled through the walls and changed the house from white to pink!) Not only did we have the sheet to read up on the history of the house, but our server was able to answer specific questions. For instance, she pointed out how the private room within our view had been used as one of the rooms for the military to strategize during the Civil War.

While all the history is fascinating, we came for the food. Specifically, I heard great things about fried green tomatoes, and The Olde Pink House was apparently famous for it. It really felt like every restaurant we went to boasted about being featured on some Food Network show. The Olde Pink House was no different, calling out their BLT Salad ($14.95), which was specifically praised on “Best thing I Ever Ate.” So typically the BLT Salad did come with two fried green tomatoes, but since my friend and I were sharing everything, our server had all of our food split on two plates in advance, hence only one in the photo below. While I had been tempted to order only the fried green tomato ($3.25) as a side by itself, having it as part of this salad was the way to go. The sweet bacon contrasted against the slight tartness of the tomato,and the thyme buttermilk dressing tied all the different tastes together.

Additional things we ordered but less remarkable than the BLT Salad were the She Crab soup ($12.95) and Chef Max’s Fried Chicken ($25.95).  They were both good, but I think they were a bit anti-climactic after the BLT Salad. The She Crab soup had some actual pieces of crab in the soup and with it being so chilly outside, it was a pleasant appetizer.  (More on what a She Crab soup is in Charleston - stay tuned!)  The fried chicken had great crunch, but where I was a bit dissatisfied was that I got a wing and a thigh, and my friend got a huge breast and drumstick. The wing and thigh really did not have much meat on them. My friend was kind enough to cut some meat from the breast to share with me, and even after that she still had more left that she had to ask to get boxed up. I felt that plating wasn’t quite proportionally split. On top of that, we both felt we got more meat on our chicken at The Grey (with the exception of that giant breast). The chicken was served with mac and cheese, which was also good but not outstanding.

What was outstanding, however, was something not listed on the menu. Our server had told us one of their specials was a deep fried flounder ($39.95) in apricot sauce. This was delicious, and I enjoyed it more than the BLT Salad. The crispy skin on the surface, the tender flaky fish meat hidden underneath, and the sweetness of the apricot sauce - all made this an incredibly memorable entree. On top of that it was served with white grits and collard greens. The grits were lathered in buttery flavor and creaminess. The collard greens were tender and flavorful, definitely cooked with ham.

We didn’t get a chance to stick around for dessert as I had a work meeting to run off to, but I could not resist the temptation to look all around the house before leaving. There was a bar in the basement that opens nightly - but what I loved was a little enclave filled with wines. The stories those walls must hold! Every room from bottom to top were beautifully decorated and had so much character. I wished I could have stayed longer to explore and ask the staff more questions. I did learn later that night during a walking ghost tour that The Olde Pink House had a number of paranormal stories - including a ghost in the basement bar and even sightings of Mr. Habersham himself.  It was a good thing I learned about the stories after I visited The Olde Pink House and not before, but truth be told, I might still find the courage to return one day for another chance at that BLT Salad and fried flounder!

The Olde Pink House 23 Abercorn Street Reynolds Square Savannah, Georgia Phone: [phone] Hours: Tuesday- Saturday 11am lunch (does not specify closing time); Sunday-Thursday 5pm-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-11pm

#Savannah #comfort food #fried food

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Savannah - The Grey

The Grey is located at a former Greyhound Bus Terminal and pays homage to the location by transporting diners back in time in its decor. One snide comment I have to make is that the hostess (when I visited) is a bit on the bougie side. Since we didn’t have reservations, she promptly directed us to the Diner Bar where we could grab any free seat. That worked out perfectly for us as that’s where we wanted to sit anyway, though given what I had heard about the “painstaking” efforts to restore the restaurant, I would have loved to have walked around a bit to see the layout of the other rooms, all of which are supposed to give the same timeless vibe.

The Diner Bar was full service and beautiful. We grabbed a booth by the window, and it did feel a bit like we were looking out a bus window at times. We were very comfortable and our server was knowledgeable about the drinks and food, guiding us to his and guests’ favorites. We ordered from the bar menu, though we could have ordered from the prix fixe menu, too. 

We opted for the oyster special - half dozen of locally-sourced in Georgia from E.L. McIntosh ($19.50).  Most of the oysters I have had in my life are from either west or east coast - I was curious about what the southern oysters would be like. They are skinnier than what I was used to, but delicious.  These didn’t have much brine to them and were delicate in texture.  While a splash of lemon is typical with oysters, The Grey also served them with eye drops of some clear liquid - I want to say it was some vinegar mixture, but I honestly can’t recall.

We also ordered the fried chicken ($16) and fish croquette ($8). The fried chicken was really good and totally hit the spot.  We knew fried chicken was a must in the South, and we were going to be eating a lot of it over our trip, but having The Grey as our first stop for fried chicken really set the bar high.  What I really loved was after the initial crunch into the chicken, I found the meat to still be very hot and juicy. Steam literally came out from every bite. We ordered the fish croquette out of curiosity, and it turned out really good, too. My expectations were low for it, as I couldn’t really imagine fish and potatoes mashed together and then deep fried would be that interesting...  Yet it was. The Grey used catfish and it was quite flavorful but not overwhelming. The potatoes were really just there to soften the texture. It was a surprisingly good dish - probably better if ordered as an appetizer given how small (but filling) it is.

We mainly went to The Grey for the ambiance and historical aspect, but we were quite pleased with the quality of food we got. We had a lot of great fried chicken on our trip, but I think the one at The Grey was the my favorite of all the ones I got to try.  While a visit here won’t physically transport you anywhere, the dining experience here is certainly a trip.

The Grey 109 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Savannah, Georgia  Phone: [phone] Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 5pm-10pm, Sunday 11am-3pm

#Savannah #fried chicken #oysters #comfort food

[eatvangelist]

Southern Comfort in Savannah - Treylor Park

One thing about traveling, especially when hitting multiple locations, is you have to be flexible, like it or not. Flights were not available for us for when we needed to be in Cuba.  Due to safety reasons, during the cruise, the ship had to skip porting in Belize. We did enjoy the cruise (and all the good food) and afterward ended up in Fort Lauderdale for a few days to get our bearings and catch up with work.  We finally got back on our scheduled path a few days ago in Savannah, Georgia.  It was the perfect place for us to recover.

While Savannah is full of history and southern charm, it is also an amazing location for good food.  Our restaurant highlights were Treylor Park, The Grey, The Olde Pink House, and Collins Quarter. Each one is worthy of its own blog post, so starting off with Treylor Park first.

Treylor Park actually owns a collection of restaurants.  We went to the original, and it was really clear why they succeeded and went on to open more locations. Our server, told us about how their PB&J chicken wings had been featured on The Food Network and more recently their deep fried pot pie and Philly egg roll were on Fresh Fried & Crispy on Netflix.  We had to order all of that, of course!

First up was the Philly egg roll.  It was PACKED with beef - I believe prime rib. There were some chopped red peppers in there, but really, this was probably 95% beef.  Served with their housemade cheese-lager sauce, this was the appetizer to satisfy any carnivore’s hunger.

I wasn’t sure about this pot pie because it sounded like a chimichanga, as Treylor Park replaced the pie crust with a tortilla. I do enjoy a good chimichanga, but can it really replace the traditional pie crust?  At Treylor Park, it certainly can.  I was surprised by how flaky the tortilla remained, especially with all that creamy roux and tender chicken piping hot in the center.  If I hadn’t tried it with my own mouth, I never would have guessed that this would have worked.

One food thing about me that always shock my friends is that I hate peanut butter.  We ordered the PB&J wings because it was a must at Treylor Park.  I thought I’d try one and let my friend have the rest of the plate.  That didn’t happen.  I tried one, and it was delicious! The chicken wings were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.  The peanut and pecan flavors added just a dash of sweetness that gave the wings more dimension, and the additional pecan sauce that we got on the side just enhanced our experience.

We were stuffed and really couldn’t eat any more...  but we had already ordered dessert in advance.  When in the south, we had to start our first night off with pecan pie. Thank goodness our server told us it was big enough to share.  I’m not usually a big pecan pie fan either - just too rich and dry for my preference, but the one at Treylor Park can’t be missed.   The crust was slightly caramelized and crispy without tasting burnt.  The pie filling had the right amount of nuttiness without feeling dry and heavy.  It was absolutely the best pecan pie I’ve ever had.

We were tempted to give up on going to the other restaurants on our list and just returning to Treylor Park for every meal (or try one of their other restaurant extensions), but we controlled ourselves (with difficulty).  Treylor Park was a great first stop for us in Savannah, and it really set the bar for the rest of our time there.

Treylor Park 115 E Bay Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: [phone] Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-1am, Saturday-Sunday 10am-1am

#savannah #TreylorPark #pot pie #pecan pie #chicken wings

[eatvangelist]

Eating Like Royalty on a Princess Cruise

My travel partner in crime and I got an interesting opportunity to visit a few places in North America.  We selected particular places we wanted to see - Cuba (yes, I know this one isn’t North America), Belize, Savannah (GA), and Charleston (SC).  My friend went on to propose we go on a Caribbean cruise with Princess, as this expected route would cover Belize and add Mexico and the Bahamas to our journey.  I had never been on a cruise before, and on top of that, she pitched me this right when omicron was announced, so I was especially skeptical but agreed to our new plan.  I was extremely nervous about this leading up to the trip, especially as the CDC warned against going on cruises and the ship we were boarding is under observation.  Once I got on board, however, I was surprised by how well-sanitized everything was and all the measures the crew took, especially around the dining areas.

Right before boarding the cruise, my companion who had been on nearly a dozen different cruises previously, dropped a warning on me. First-time cruise passengers usually gain about 10 pounds.  It’s hard not eat continuously on the cruise, as there were dining rooms, cafes, buffets, poolside eateries, and 24-hour room service, all included in the trip.  On top of that, most of the activities onboard the ship really weren’t for me.  I thought I would be sequestering in my stateroom most of the time and ordering room service for the whole trip as I wanted to limit my exposure to other passengers, but I ended up having room service for only one meal.  The staff was not messing around with sanitizing the dining areas, and seeing how much effort they put in made me feel more at ease about eating at each location.  My three favorite locations were the Island Dining Room, International Cafe, and the Marketplace (buffet).

Island Dining Room:

There were three dining rooms, but our cruise was only 25% full (the crew actually outnumbered the passengers), so only two were open. One of the fun aspects of traveling was meeting others, but given COVID-19, we opted for a private table and typically went either early or late, avoiding peak hours, which did definitely get packed. Each night, the dining rooms offered 4-6 different entrees to choose from, as well as starters, a couple pastas, and desserts.  Since all the meals were included, we usually got multiple starters, entrees, and desserts so that we didn’t have to choose or limit ourselves if multiple dishes looked appealing.  On one night, we ordered 3 dishes of escargot, 2 seafood Louie, 1 dish of ravioli, 4 lobster tails, 1 beef Wellington, 1 duck, and 2 chocolate bombe desserts.  We still drool over our memory of that lobster tail and the overall experience - the perfection of the texture, subtle sweetness of each bite, and service and presentation (our server pulled the meat out of the shell for us tableside).  I could be wrong, but by our estimate, this dinner alone would cost about $350-400. We ate like this almost every dinner.  

The amazing food was one piece to why we liked the dining room, but you could also order everything from the menu using room service. We enjoyed the dining room, specifically Island Dining Room, because the staff.  Our main servers were always very friendly and trafficked the pacing of each course well so that our foods were always served at the right temperature.  They really enhanced our dining experience.  Dinner was the most impressive service of the dining room, but it was also open for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea.  We were unimpressed with the afternoon tea, and while breakfast and lunch were fine, we preferred other places on the ship, specifically the International Cafe.

International Cafe:

Unlike the dining room, the International Cafe was open 24 hours.  The coffee bar here served the best lattes on the entire ship, and the barista made some pretty detailed latte art upon request.  While food and regular coffee and tea were included with the cruise, the lattes here were not, but they weren’t too expensive ($2-5).

It wasn’t just the coffee that got us to keep going back to the cafe.  There were two display cases of desserts, pastries, salads, and sandwiches.  Stopping by here for a small bite or snack was way better than afternoon tea in the dining room.  As International Cafe was located in the piazza of the ship, there were usually performers (musicians) providing entertainment.  When I was enjoying my quiche and tea there one day, I got to enjoy a pianist going through her Gershwin songbook.  This very quickly became one of my favorite spots on board the ship.

Marketplace:

Ever since the pandemic, I had become weary of buffets, but shortly after I boarded the ship, I was starving and it was the place my companion said we should hit up first for lunch. To enter Marketplace, we had to wash our hands at the entrance.  Additionally, the staff handed us a plate and other than a couple mini bites served in martini glasses and little saucers, staff was at each station to serve us to minimize exposure from breathing on foods or touching shared utensils.

Marketplace was convenient, but it had its flaws, too. To accommodate guests, the griddle station prepared pancakes, waffles, and french toasts in advance. Since they were sitting there for a while, these three became rubbery. I tried the customized omelet station on my last day, and for whatever reason what was brought to me had none of the ingredients I asked for.  The server even brought out my ticket to confirm and became as baffled as I was on the huge miss. Nevertheless, I still liked Marketplace. A lot of the staff from the dining room dinner service also worked there in the mornings, so it was nice to see them again. On the last few days, there was masala tea available, which was quite good. For me, especially after the heavy dinners, Marketplace’s fresh fruits and yogurts were a must.

Honorable Mentions:

There were other eateries on the ship, too, near the pools. I thought my friend was exaggerating when she raved about the pizza there, but she was accurate.  The thin crust pizza was so good.  There weren’t a lot of choices though - Margherita, Pepperoni, and whatever the daily special was.  

I also enjoyed one of the bars, Explorer Lounge. While I didn’t eat anything there - not sure if they even had food options, though we could have ordered room service and had them deliver to the bar or anywhere on the ship really - I did have a couple drinks there.  Alcoholic beverages again cost extra, but my bartender made me a fruit mocktail that was quite refreshing.

When it came time to disembark, I was actually sad to leave.  I got spoiled by ship life, but at the end of it all, I do prefer being on solid land more.  My waistline also appreciates the end of the gluttony.

#princess cruises #cruise #covid_19 #ship food

[eatvangelist]

Hello Hilo

I’m finally trying a real vacation in a post-COVID world, and the first stop is Hilo, Hawaii. I’ve been to Hawaii several times in my life, but never have I been to the Big Island until now. Doing my research ahead of time, it seems people tend to go to Kona or Hilo, the former more touristy and the latter more laid back. We wanted to be cautious and chose Hilo for the smaller crowd size. We also knew we would eat well, but I had no idea how right we’d be! Here are my must-visit picks for foodies.

Hilo Bay Cafe

This restaurant has the reputation of being one of the best in Hilo, and it's easy to see why. First, there is a killer view as the location is right on Hilo Bay (true to its name). Call to make reservations - you can do so online, too, but it's not necessarily accurate. OpenTable showed no availability for 3 days, so I called and scored the last table available for that evening. If you're really lucky, try to get a table outside so you can enjoy the sunset. You pretty much can't go wrong with anything you order there, and this is especially true when it comes to the seafood, which is caught fresh daily. I couldn't resist the special of the day, which was the shrimp with grits. Absolutely delicious - you can taste how fresh it is. The polenta grits and boar sausage pieces that shared the plate were great, too, but the shrimps were clearly the stars. We also had room for dessert - had to get a lava cake on the island! It paired perfectly with the macadamia nut ice cream.

Hawaiian Style Cafe

The most classic Hawaiian dish is the loco moco, so we went to Hawaiian Style Cafe for dinner to get that crossed off our checklist. Loco moco is basically an egg and hamburger patties served on top of rice with brown gravy. It's definitely comfort food, along with the luau stew that we ordered. The stew is tender chunks of pork cooked in a broth with taro leaves. We realized once we got to Hawaiian Style Cafe that most people come here for breakfast, as they are famous for their pancakes. We had to get one, and one was really more than enough for us. One pancake is larger than the size of my face! It is topped with haupia (coconut pudding), toasted coconut shreds, and whipped cream. If all that isn't sweet enough, there's also maple syrup on the side. Even without the haupia, this pancake is delicious - thick but fluffy. The only slightly negative part of this experience was we needed leftover containers. When the bill came, I was surprised to see we were charged $0.25 for them. I mean, a quarter is really insignificant, but I was surprised that they 1) charged for it; 2) didn't tell us they were charging for it until I saw it on the bill. When I questioned the cashier about this, she said "oh this is new for us, too," as if that made it all okay. I still recommend a visit though because the food is just too good.

Two Ladies Kitchen

This is a must-have on Hilo. I've had mochi before - and good ones at that, too - but Two Ladies Kitchen puts all the ones I've ever had before to shame. They are most famous for their fruit ones, especially the strawberry daifuku - soft, chewy mochi on the outside, a thin layer of red bean paste, and a whole strawberry at the center. Two Ladies Kitchen uses only fresh fruit, so the menu is updated with what's in season. A very close runner up for me was the momo (peach) mochi. The peach was just so juicy and sweet, and pairing it with the mochi was perfection. I also tried pear and apple, and while I liked the contrast in their crunchy texture, the momo and strawberry were the best. I also bought a couple without fruit - the plum flower (which is just mochi colored and shaped into a plum flower and filled with red bean paste) and the lilikoi (passionfruit), and they were good, too.

A helpful tip if you do visit Two Ladies Kitchen - call ahead to pre-order. We arrived about 10 minutes before opening and there was already a line. By the time they opened, the line was down the block. This is mainly because they are adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and permitting no more than two people in the shop at one time. Those who pre-order can jump to the front of the line. They don't have a website, but I've linked to their Instagram above, which has their contact information.

Hilo Farmers Market

The Hilo Farmers Market is open all 7 days a week from 7am to 3pm. It is the place to go for the freshest produce for a reasonable price. We picked up a couple of strawberry papayas for $1.50. I was very tempted to buy the enormous dragonfruit for $4. I recall seeing much smaller ones for sale for $7 at Whole Foods in comparison! What I love about shopping at Farmers Market in general is you get the opportunity to actually talk to the people who grow your food. In Hilo, it's even more meaningful to me because I know the money is going directly to the community.

While you're at the Farmers Market, stop by Kula for some organic shave ice. They make their own syrup with natural ingredients. I got the Lilikoi Dreamsicle, and it was heavenly!

While I knew practically nothing about Hilo prior to going, I absolutely fell in love here. Not only was all the food I had wonderful, this was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. Whether it's going up to the summit of Mauna Kea and having some Cup of Noodles while stargazing or strolling through Liliuokalani Park and Gardens, the natural beauty that can be found in Hilo is astounding.

#hawaii #hilo #big island #mochi #eating #vacation #travel

[eatvangelist]

Waffling

More often than I'd like to admit, I have moments where I doubt my life choices. I try to not regret too much or obsess about the road not taken, but there are times when I'm bitch-slapped by reality and realize I'm not entirely where I want to be and no matter what I do to change things, I'm stuck. It's these moments when my credit card and wallet suffer the most. I make impulse buys that make no sense. This time, while I was grocery shopping, I got a waffle iron.

Perhaps there was something metaphorical or figurative about how my state of mind had been waffling this week that motivated to buy this. Even once I got home and had no place to store it, I wondered if I was ever going to use it. Yesterday, I was determined to follow through and be satisfied with at least one decision I made this week, so I decided to use the new waffle iron. Serendipitously, I had also purchased blueberries while grocery shopping, and only realized as I was mixing the batter that I could make blueberry waffles.

To say I was happy with my end result would be an understatement. The waffles had a crispy exterior but a gentle soft texture inside, especially thanks to the smooshed blueberries. Proof that I didn't plan on buying a waffle maker or making waffles - I had no maple syrup on hand, so I topped it with powdered sugar instead. For subsequent waffles, I also used an orange-cranberry jam and honey. All paired nicely. I'm taking my waffles as a positive sign into the week ahead that no matter how strange a decision may be at the moment, it may bring you some happiness down the line and even if you don't have all the ingredients on hand to top your outcome, there are plenty of alternatives that will be just as sweet.

Recipe

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

Cooking Directions:

Pre-heat waffle iron.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl.

Add everything all remaining ingredients except for the blueberries and mix until batter is without lumps.

Stir in blueberries.

Follow directions of your waffle iron on how to pour batter and for how long to cook it. For mine, I poured the batter at the center of the waffle iron and spread it with about 1/2" from reaching the border of the iron. When I closed the lid, I assumed the batter would spread even more to the edge, which it did, without spilling out. My waffle iron recommended 4-5 minutes, which came out just right for me.

Top with condiments as you desire.

#waffles #homecooking

[eatvangelist]

Yuca’s - Burgers vs Tacos

Confession time...  I’m not a fan of burgers.  I crave a good In-n-Out cheeseburger now and again, but despite its simplicity, it is really hard to make a good one, or at least one I’d like.  I mean, the last one I was seriously in love with was the Alton Brown burger that I had five years ago.  Somehow or another, in the past week, I have had burgers three times, and I’m reminded that the burger struggle is real...  Unless you’re Yuca’s.  

I had some family in town, and going to Yuca’s was one person’s bucket list item while visiting, so how could I say no?  I Googled Yuca’s and saw it was a taco stand, so I thought we were on the hunt for some authentic Mexican food.  He told me no.  He followed First We Feast and caught their recent episode of The Burger Show featuring Yuca’s.   Not gonna lie, even after watching the episode, I still had my doubts.  Who goes to a taco stand for... burgers? 

The cheeseburger was rather unimpressive to look at and had no premium ingredients, yet I had to admit that it was pretty darn good.  I gave it a slight win over In-n-Out for the beef patty.  It was juicy and flavorful, and it had just a slight crisp on the edges creating a pleasant texture.  What was surprising was how good this burger was given how basic the ingredients were.  What you saw was what you got - no secret ingredient, yet so many burger joints struggled with this.  If you want to know everything that went into this burger, watch The Burger Show episode - the owners tell you everything around 2 and a half minutes in.

I couldn’t go to a taco stand without actually ordering a taco.  Yuca’s is known for its Yucatan style cooking, so I had to order the cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork that had been marinating in citrus).  While I started off this post saying I’m not a fan of burgers, but even if I were, I would still say this taco knocked the burger out of the park.  The pork was so tender and delicious.  As good as Yuca’s burger was, go for anything on the menu with their cochinita pibil.  The taco was perfect for my visit since I also had the chili and cheese fries (just okay - skip this one), but for my next visit, I plan on getting this Yucatan style pork either in a burrito or as a plate.  

The Alton Brown Burger still remains my favorite of burger of all time, but as far as the basic burger goes, Yuca’s is solid.  Despite that, I don’t think I would make the effort to go to Yuca’s for just the burger...  their cochinita pibil, however, I’m ready any time!

Yuca’s Pasadena 1075 S Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, California 91105 Phone: [phone] Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6:30pm

#yuca #yucatán #tacos #hamburger #firstwefeast #theburgershow #pasadena

[eatvangelist]

High Times with Highballs & High Tea

While my family is still in town visiting, I wanted us to have one upscale adventure.  Le Meridien opened a new Pasadena-Arcadia location recently, and I heard their lounge, Longitude 118, served high tea.  Per their website, it’s not only high tea but also an option with highballs.  We checked them out yesterday.

The hotel and lounge were lovely, but I had some doubts initially about how our tea service was going to go.  First, our server told us they were unable to offer any of the milk tea offerings, as they were out of the specific milk used for that.  There were three milk teas - Hong Kong style that used evaporated milk, London Fog, which was regular steamed milk, and matcha that used almond milk.  We wondered later if we misunderstood the server since it seems odd they would be out of all three types of milk, but none of us were especially particular about having milk tea so we chose various flavors from their available Dammann Frères selection.  I was especially pleased with the jardin bleu which had some sweet, fruity accents.  I also liked the oolong caramel buerre, but the caramel is only in the aroma not in flavor of the tea.  Two of us also ordered the highball tea menu, which included a caviar canape.  The highball was supposed to be soda water with the Japanese whiskey Hibiki Harmony, but apparently the hotel was out of that, too, and substituted it with Toki (both whiskeys are made by Suntory).  I really was skeptical about how our tea time was going to go with so many ingredients being out, but I felt much better once the caviar canape was served.  It was hard to remember to take a photo before devouring this.  Perhaps it had been too long since I last ate caviar, but this was perfect - just the right about of saltiness.  I think this was also my first time having yellow/golden caviar.  The blinis also had the right thickness and texture.

After quite a long wait, we got our three-tiered stand of sandwiches and pastries.  The bottom tier was the savory items while the top two plates were sweet items.  Hidden behind the shitake mushroom and truffle aioli sandwiches was my favorite of the plate, the lobster and egg salad tartine.  There were only a couple thin pieces of lobster that topped the egg salad as a garnish, but I still enjoyed the flavor and the contrast between the smoothness of the egg salad and the crispy wafer shell of the tartine.  All other sandwiches were good, too - the smoked salmon cucumber roll, strawberry and mascarpone tart, and the shrimp avocado mini toast.  The scones were interesting for one reason - there were two flavors in a basket, plain and matcha.  I’d never had matcha scones before and while the actual green tea flavor was subtle, there was a bite of bitterness to it that just made it pair so nicely with the assortment of jams, Devonshire cream, and lemon curd.

While the scones and sandwiches were as listed on the menu, more items must have been out because there were more substitutions with the pastries.  Instead of matcha chocolate bon bons, we got sesame chocolate ones, and instead of cream puffs and ginger crème brûlée, we got pistachio petit fours, madeleines, and canelés. I am very particular about my canelés and am pleased to report these were close to perfection - crispy and caramelized exterior, soft and chewy interior. The madeleines were also quite good and especially buttery. Every pastry was quite delicious though my favorite is a toss up between the canelés and vanilla macarons with passionfruit filling.

All in all this was a good experience. I would probably hold off on returning soon though as they seem to need to work out some kinks with available ingredients, but we all enjoyed the tea service in spite of all the substitutions. I look forward to going again once they have everything down.

Tea service is available only Thursday-Sunday.

Le Meridien Pasadena Arcadia - Longitude 118 130 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 [phone]

#high tea #Le Meridien #Arcadia #pasadena #highballs #tea service

[eatvangelist]

Harumama Noodles & Buns

I got to take a break from cooking this week thanks to some family visiting, in particular my nine-year-old nephew excited about visiting me Legoland.  After a full day of AWESOME there, we were looking for a convenient place to grab dinner.  A friend recommended Harumama Noodles & Buns, as they have character buns that my nephew might like to try.  I told her never mind my nephew, I wanted to try them!

We ordered all four savory options available - panda (spicy chicken), cow (BBQ beef), pig (pork and caramelized onion), and chicken (chicken with mozzarella).  When they arrived on the table, they really were absolutely adorable and we were all excited to try them.  While the flavor was quite good in all of them, all except the chicken were quite dry inside.  The mozzarella probably kept the chicken filling moist.  The texture of the bun dough was quite good and comparable to traditional Asian recipes.  At $8 per order though, it’s really for the novelty.  You may be better off ordering their open-faced bao bao buns for a dollar less instead.  We got the Karaage Chicken and Fried Eggplant, which tasted good and had a nice contrast in texture between the crispy filling and soft dough.

What we enjoyed most were our ramen.  A few of us got the Fat Duck (duck chasu with bok choy and miso in tonkatsu broth), and one person got the Flying Pig (pork chasu with brussels sprouts in tokatsu broth).  Ramen was $12-13 and extra toppings for nominal charge were available.  The noodles were firm and chewy, the duck chasu was mostly lean with just the right amount of fat on them, and the miso was flavorful but not too salty.  

Harumama is definitely a hipster spin on Asian cuisine, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth visiting.  While the character buns will appeal for Instagrammers and kids, the ramen will satisfy any hard core foodie.

Harumama Noodles & Buns (Carlsbad) 2958 Madison Street Carlsbad, California 92008 Phone: [phone] Hours: Sun-Thrs 11am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm

#buns #bunstagram #ramen #carlsbad