NYC Uploaded

Pictures from this trip are mostly of food.  For pictures of birthday shenanigans, you'll have to ask one of the two birthday girls.  :)

NYC 2010

NYC, Day 2

Though the primary objective of this trip was to celebrate some birthdays, I was also determined to cram in as many meals as possible.  Despite my exhaustion and how drunk I got last night, I wasn't about to trade lunch at the Momofuku Ssäm Bar for a few extra hours of sleep. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to write down all the dishes we ordered, and since it's a seasonal menu, I can't find them online anymore.  Pictures to be uploaded later, but from what I remember:

steamed pork buns – hoisin, cucumbers, scallions
pork scrapple – fried egg, benton’s bacon, plum
spicy pork sausage & rice cakes – chinese broccoli, crispy shallots

 Everything was delicious.  While the steamed pork buns were really good (and what everyone talks about), I'd prefer to spend my money on some of the other dishes, since it's not that hard to find good pork buns in Chinese areas.  Another party at the restaurant actually ordered the bo ssäm, which is the pork butt feast, available only for parties of 6 or more and must be reserved in advance.  Next time, Ssäm bar!

Connected to the Ssäm Bar is the Momofuku Milk Bar, which offers items such as the cereal milk soft serve (exactly what it sounds like) and crack pie (toasted oat crust, gooey butter filling).  If you're wondering if it was any good, know that we came back for a second helping after dinner and got mostly the same things.  Cereal milk soft serve sounds like such an obvious thing to do, yet I haven't seen it around.  Yet another excuse for a return visit.

NYC, Day 1

In town to celebrate joint milestone birthdays, I took my first ever red-eye flight, for the start of a long day.

On tonight's planned agenda:
9-11pm: pre-party at birthday girl's apartment
11pm - 4am: PARTY!!
4am: after party eats

Considering my 7am arrival time, that's an especially long day.  Also daunting is the current freezing temperature. Dress warmly and to impress?  What?!?

But before all of that, there was lunch at Grammery Tavern, one of my favorite restaurants.  I was all set to order the mushroom lasagna after hearing so much about it, but got the pork special instead.  The pork was incredibly tender and juicy, it was almost like beef.  I can't even remember what else was on the plate, so I'll let the picture do the talking.  Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my face.

Free Spirit

I know plenty of people who hate their job, but I only know of one person who is genuinely excited every morning at the thought of going to the office.  I'd like to think that if I worked there, I'd feel the same as well.  For now, I shall have to live vicariously through you, hopefully cooler by association.  One of these days, I'll have to visit again when there are more nerds walking around doing important things.  Free Spirit!

Around Town

With my sister in town this weekend, we explored some of the local neighborhoods and discovered some funny Chinese crackers along the way.  Best of all, I now have a new way of tormenting my sister.  I can hear you screaming from here!

Rome, Day 1

After all the trips through Frankfurt, my upgrade for today's flight finally went through, and I got to enjoy United's new international business class, and in a rear facing seat, no less!  With the lay flat beds and 15" TV with over a hundred hours of movie and TV programming, who wants to get out of their seat?  The only weird thing is that when the curtain isn't drawn, you sometimes wind up staring straight at the people facing forward.  Also of note is that one of my flight attendants was Lois Lane, and I was wearing my Superman shirt, so everyone had a little fun with that.  "Would you like some dessert, Superman?  Why, that'd be lovely, Ms. Lane!"  Unfortunately, SFO has the highest concentration of elite frequent flyers, making these upgrades harder to come by, which makes this upgrade even more painful, since I now know what I'm missing.

My connecting flight to Rome was rather uneventful, except for this little gem, which after last time, has made me a fan of the Lufthansa in-flight magazine. Seriously, who would buy used aircraft seats?  Who is the target market here?  Would someone sitting in an airplane seat actually see this ad and want to place an order?  I wouldn't even want a new one!

Ramos House Cafe

I originally found out about this place from a random food blog and shared it with Hanie since it was between Cerritos and San Diego, but later learned that she already knew about it. I don't make the trip down to San Diego very often, so I jumped at the chance to check it out on my drive back from San Diego.  Tucked away in a quaint neighborhood with some old Western + Native American charm, The Ramos House is literally at someone's residence, with the dining area located on the outside patio.  If it weren't for the hourly train passing by (it's adjacent to the tracks), you really feel like you've been transported to some charming little town in the middle of nowhere. 

To start, there was the popcorn garnished corn chowder, which tasted ok, but wasn't as exciting as it sounded.  My entree (duck hash w/ wild mushroom eggs & herb sauce), however, had the opposite effect.  While it looked like a regular scramble, the fresh ingredients and fluffy eggs were absolutely fantastic.  While the portions are large, I didn't necessarily feel like the dishes were very heavy (I finished my entire plate).  Looking at the menu, there are a bunch of dishes that I would love to come back and try.  There's also a great weekend brunch for $35 that sounds like a great value. 

Starlite Express

The first time I had a Moscow Mule was when Ken made one for me at Tina's. While I liked it, I always forgot the name when ordering drinks at a bar. Tonight, after dining at Phil's Phil's Phil's!!, Joel and I met up with Jason at the Starlite for some drinks, and knew I had to order the Moscow Mule when I saw it on the cocktail list.  Unlike other mixed drinks, the Moscow Mule is made with vodka, ginger beer and lime, so there's a low risk of it being overly sweet.  As an added bonus, the Starlite Mule is served in a cold copper mug, which remaind just as cold an hour after I first got it (don't worry, no risk of your lips sticking to the mug).  I'm pretty sure I could drink this all day, and now I'll definitely have to compare it with others.  At the moment, it's my drink of choice.  Great drinks, great atmosphere, and even better company.  What's not to like about this place?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Heading down to San Diego for a conference, I decided to fly into LAX and have my sister drop me off at the Amtrak station aimed for San Diego.  The last time I took a train in California was back in elementary school, so I was a bit excited about the ride down.  Of course, had Hanie or Jason told me just how scenic the trip was, I would have been even more excited.  Once you get out of Orange County, a lot of the track runs right next to the water.  Here is a sample view from where I sat, no zoom used:

$22 for one-way ticket from Fullerton to San Diego may be more expensive than driving, but with the views and traffic-free trip, it's well worth the price!

Pizza Pizza

Pizzeria Mozza!  After hearing people talk about it for ages, I finally had a chance to check it out.  Even better was that since I was driving down from SF, I was able to take advantage of the Happy Hour deal - appetizer and pizza for $20.   First up, fried squash blossoms with ricotta and an order of the meatballs.  The squash blossoms were very tasty, but if you can only get one appetizer, get the meatballs.  By far the clear winner, the meatballs have a great flavor and a moist and tender texture.  For the pizzas, we shared the egg, bacon and Yukon Gold, but again, while very good, the clear winner was the mushroom pizza.  So simple, yet a great example of what good, fresh ingredients can do for a dish.  The mushrooms were thick, juicy, flavorful, and a good compliment to the taleggio and fontina cheeses.  Thick and juicy; that's what she said.

Pixar Studios

Denver, Day 2

Didn't do much today, given the amount of drinking that happened last night after the baseball game. After somehow waking up, we met up with Andrew and Amy at Lola for brunch, then chilled at the Hou residence before catching our various late afternoon flights.

Not sure if Ken was nursing a hangover, but during brunch, he ordered the house bloody mary which had a different tang and spice to it, which Ken likened to "Taco Bell hot sauce". That's not to say that it was gross, just different. While I like tomato juice, it never occurs to me to order a bloody mary, so I can't really compare it to anything.

As for my entree, I ordered the pork and waffle benedict - braised pork belly, pickled cherry syrup, and BBQ hollandaise, all served on top of waffle squares. Each bite was both sweet and savory, with a little BBQ tang to it. The pork itself was tender and juicy, and I could have easily ate it on its own. While the flavors were initially really good, it started to get a little too sweet for me halfway through the dish. It's very tasty, but I'd recommend sharing.

Denver, Day 1

MLB Trip 2009 - Destination: Denver, Colorado.

Not only is Denver home of the nation's largest international airport, it's also home to the Doctors Hou and their amazingly chill (and adorable!) baby, Madeleine. Joel found a good online rate at the Hotel Monaco in downtown, and apparently, they provide you with a pet goldfish if you ask. I named ours, "Mitch".

Beatrice & Woodsley
Saturday was a jam packed day, which started off with brunch at Beatrice & Woodsley, which on one side has a chic industrial look, but on the other side appears to be a modern lounge for wood elves. It may sound funny, but with the tinted yellow windows filtering the high noon sun and the sheer curtains surrounding the booths, it was all very relaxing and somewhat whimsical (as Joel likes to call it). To start, we got an order of monkeybrains, which were donut holes filled with bananas foster, I think. I don't actually remember much about them, so probably not a good sign. They weren't bad, just not as memorable as they looked. For my main dish, I ordered the buttery grits with spicy pulled pork, and if I remember correctly, most in our group ordered the same. The buttery grits, at the bottom of the dish, balanced out the salt and spice of the pulled pork. I personally, however, enjoyed using the runny yolk from the egg over easy to balance out the pulled pork, but then again, I like eggs on almost anything.

Coors Brewery
After brunch, we went back to Andrew and Amy's, before heading off for some brewery tours. The original plan was to go to Fort Collins for the New Belgium Brewery tour (Fat Tire), but since the schedule didn't work out, we ended up going to the Coors Brewery instead. Included in the free tour, you get free samples and two free beers. Most of us stopped listening to the audio guide almost immediately, mainly because it was cheesy, but let's face it - talk about beer just makes you want more beer. The coolest thing about the tour was actually seeing the factory floor, watching the cans traveling across the belts to be packaged into the various boxes. The line for free beer at the end of the tour was both long and unorganized, and given our tight schedule, we ended up only getting one beer each.

Casa Bonita
For those of you who have seen the South Park episode (just the clip here), Casa Bonita is an actual establishment in Denver. Ever since we've talked about going to Denver, there's been talks of going, so we attempted a quick visit in between Coors and the ball game. The plan, get in, look around, and haul ass to the baseball game. Casa Bonita, however, had other plans.

For starters, there's really no way to properly describe this place. Ken probably sums it up best when he says "it's a Mexican Disneyland in a strip mall, but 10 times worse". The first thing you notice when you step inside is the smell of chlorinated water and the faint sounds of children's laughter. The reception area is reminiscent of 1980s Circus Circus, Las Vegas, and the only thing to greet you is the amateur video looping on the wall mounted tube TVs, starring the various entertainment personalities. The price of admission is a full meal, the cheapest costing $12. Since there's no way to sneak a peek of the actual restaurant from the reception area, our plan was either buy $12 worth of drinks or just hand over the money. Despite our best negotiating efforts, the cashiers wouldn't budge, so we each had to order entrees. Much like the typical cafeteria, the food line starts with wet plastic trays, but soon after, you're greeted by a pair of faceless hands, pushing out food from a hole in the wall. A woman in a hair net and latex gloves confirms your order before handing you the plate, all the while basking under the red glow of heat lamps. The majority of us ordered the taco salad or the nachos, which aren't much to write about.

Once inside, we were seated at a table next to the waterfall, giving us front row seats to the various incarnations of the Casa Bonita cliff diving show, which basically featured a cast of high school students and a man dressed in a gorilla suit. Besides the cliff divers, there's also Black Bart's cave, arcades, and the random person selling plastic light sabers. While I don't think I'd necessarily make a return visit, I'd recommend anyone in the area to make the trip, as it's really something to experience. Once you do, you'll understand just how difficult it is to accurately describe the place.

Coors Field - Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants
Since most of us were full from Casa Bonita, we mostly just snacked at Coors Field during the game. While Dodger Stadium has Dodger Dogs and AT&T Park has Gilroy garlic fries, Coors Field has Rocky Mountain Oysters, though I'm not sure people actually go to the park for them. Andrew actually got an order, and we all took a slice, despite knowing what it was. Thankfully, they were very thinly sliced and heavily breaded, so you really couldn't tell or taste anything except breading. Andrew, however, had to finish it all. Balls, balls, balls.

Slow Club

Slow Club is a great place for dinner, but who knew it was also a fantastic brucnh spot? With my friend in town, we decided to head out to the Mission for the bourbon french toast and turkey sausage hash, as recommended by Yelp reviewers. If you can't decide between sweet or savory, come with a friend, order both, and share! For those of you that drive, street parking's a plenty!

The french toast is light, fluffy, and not overly sweet, unlike a lot of french toasts. The syrup isn't overly sweet, and the bourbon flavor is faint, but is present helps cut the sweetness. The turkey sausage hash comes topped with a poached egg, so if you're into runny eggs, it helps gel everything together. Grilled corn and peppers provide a fresh and crunchy texture to each bite, preventing the turkey and potatoes from making the dish too heavy.

Alemany Farmer's Market

I've always heard about the Alemany's Farmers' Market, and have passed by it a number of times on the freeway, but have never really found an excuse to make the trek on Saturday morning. Having had a taste of Early Girl Dry Farmed tomatoes, I decided this was the time to check it out.

Open Saturdays from about 8am - 3pm, the Alemany's Farmers' Market features more produce stalls than the Ferry Building, and seems to also have better prices as well. There's a section in the back for food stalls, but I was frankly more interested in the produce. First stop, dry farmed tomatoes, and Casey immediately bought three pounds worth of them (I got just one). I can't remember the name of the vendor, but they have one of the biggest produce stalls here, the largest selection of dry farmed tomatoes, plenty of other tomato varieties as well as other leafy vegetables.

As a side note, here's a reminder why you should always remember to correctly turn your tires when parking in San Francisco. I hope it's insured by Survival.

Hey Hey Hey

Ella's is probably one of my favorite breakfast places in SF, but I rarely go as it's so crowded on the weekends. Since Hanie and Jason had an early afternoon flight, we decided to get up early and beat the Sunday rush for Ella's. I'm surprised we've never taken Hanie there before, but thankfully, that's easy enough to remedy!

The three of us shared an order of the sticky buns, which was quite sticky but not overly sweet. For my entree, I ordered the curry shrimp with a biscuit instead of toast (although their honey oat toast is quite delish). Ingredients were very fresh, and the curry flavor was just enough and not overpowering. I wish I got a picture of everyone else's dishes, as they were all very different, but all very very good. Jason had an open face scramble, I think, and Hanie had the Southwestern benedict with a lime biscuit. Hanie's definitely wins for most different, and more importantly, best tasting. Lime biscuit? Yes, please.

After breakfast, we had some time to kill before Hanie and Jason's flight, so we decided to walk around the neighborhood since it was a nice warm day. Coincidentally, as we were crossing a street, we saw Johann driving through, which caused Jason to flail his arms in the air like a crazy person (Hanie and I both thought he was trying to hail a cab). After walking around a bit, we stumbled across a children's toy store and decided to go in. As we were leaving, we saw a stack of these mysterious plastic things in the middle of the store. Thankfully, Jason was there to explain.

Baby N

With Hanie and Jason in town for a wedding, the gang got together for brunch at Foreign Cinema. While the food was very good, I was admittedly paying more attention to baby Nahyun, who made an appearance. It's been a while since I've seen her, but she is still one happy and funny baby.

Just Say No To Dumpsters

For those of you that remember Ken's Birthday Bonanza '05, aka Dumpster Dive 2005, this picture should bring back fond memories. Fortunately, this shows the closest this year's celebrations came to that infamous night. When I first noticed the spill on Ken's sweater during dinner, I knew we were in for a good time. Thankfully this was as crazy as the night got, and no missing persons report had to be filed. Happy birthday, my friend. Good times.

Drinks with Mary

There's nothing like having good friends visit from out of town, though it's a shame they come so infrequently, and for too short a time. I spent the evening catching up with my newly minted JPL buddy at Jupiter's in Berkeley (a mere coincidence, I assure you). Many hours and buckets of laughter later, there was one particular lesson that I took away from the evening - it's nearly impossible to instruct a drunk, white woman how to properly pronounce "orange" in Mandarin Chinese, no matter how determined the student. Stick to skiing, my dear. Stick to skiing.

Doom and Gloom

Blah blah blah Indian summer. While it's been a normal, typical summer down in Menlo Park, this is my view as I drive back to the City after work. Behind me, happy summer sunshine; ahead, impending doom. The 280/92 freeway interchange seems to be approximately where the fog sits, waiting to eat commuters returning home, laughing knowingly that they'll be turning on their heaters in the midst of "summer".