angelini osteria.

lunch at an old favorite.

an early bday celebration for b, at his favorite italian in LA.

the bread basket, and antipasto on the house. i love their thin, crispy flatbread, with tons of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. we devoured the basket within minutes.

b ordered proscuitto with cantaloupe. the melon smelled sOo good that i wanted to take a bite.. but i forced myself not to… if i had an allergic reaction then the rest of the meal would have been ruined… but seriously.. fragrant.

the tricolore salad. light and simple.

short rib ravioli, with sage and butter.

spaghetti chitarra alla norcina with fresh truffles and sausage. the fresh, chewy pasta was the highlight of the dish for me, and a great texture to go with the waxy truffle.

as always.. angelinis never fails. yuM.

xx

la esperanza

la esperanza, in torrance.

i was craving pupusas, an el salvadorian dish, so i looked up the closest restaurant nearby, and gave it a go. when i arrived at the jumbled strip mall i wasn’t sure what to expect, it looked like it might be a hole in the wall.. but once i stepped through their heavy wooden doors, i could tell that they took pride in their restaurant, and it showed through their interiors and decor.

their pupusas were larger in size than i expected, at other pupuserias i’ve visited, they are about 2/3 of the size. the stuffed corn tortilla comes in a variety of fillings, my favorites being pork + cheese, and chorizo.. so that’s what i stuck with. and i was very happy with what i got.

great texture, fragrant hot corn tortilla. nice light sear.

sweet plantains, with sour crema. here they have a side order that comes with beans.

before i loaded up the pupusas with curtido, a fermented cabbage slaw.. i like to think of it as a latin kimchee..

then pour on some of the traditional watery salsa.  i like to top it off with a bit of the crema.

ta da! .. sO good. but the serving was so large, i couldn’t finish.. i could only eat about 1 1/2.. plus the plantains of course. after i took this last picture, i got too busy eating that i forgot to snap one of the filling.. the cheesy pork was my favorite, being lighter in flavor. the chorizo was good as well, but the heavy chorizo flavor overpowered the corn and the curtido, which i really enjoy.

to compare cuisines.. its similar in format to the japanese okonomiyaki, another one of my favorite dishes.

la esperanza was very reasonably priced, and their service was friendly and attentive. i’ll definitely visit again.. next time ill try to remember to get a pic of the filling.

xx

http://laesperanzarestaurants.com/

viks chaat & market.

this was my second visit to viks chaat market in the east bay.. there isn’t really anywhere else you can get indian “street food” like this. i LOVE everything here, the spices and flavors are such a refreshing change from my usual palette.

cholle bhature. this is before the bread fell, its light and somewhat crispy.. to eat, break off pieces, and eat with the pickles and cholle sauce.

mixed vegetable pakoras.

keema (lamb) samosas- i couldn’t eat this because i’m allergic, but b said it was really good.

i mean.. it LOOKS sO good, right? yuM.

pani puri. my fave! partly because its so cute.

to eat, you crack open the top, and its a hollow shell, fill with tamarind chutney sauce, garbanzo beans, potato, spiced water.. etc. and eat in one bite.

lOve.

xx

http://www.vikschaatcorner.com/

sushi on the run

my favOrite sushi bar in the bay area.

SUSHI ON THE RUN in los gatos.

chef nobo has been preparing fresh, amazing sushi since i was in high school. this is the ONLY place that i will willingly order “rolls.” his restaurant is teeny, and only sits eight at a bar, so if you don’t make the first seating, you need to wait about 45- an hour for the next. he only opens up shop after his sushi rice is prepared to the correct temperature..  you can see him through the glass window fanning away the sushi rice in the big bamboo container before his assistant turns the “closed” sign to “open.”

on our recent stay in norcaL, we went twice for lunch.

the “yellow rose” roll. yellowtail, avocado, garlic, scallion. sO good.

now, THIS is how nobo prepares his sushi. one pc of his sushi is easily 2 at any other restaurant.

i like to order uni + avocado handrolls..  he makes mine with shiso.

hamachi, fresh the day we ate it. we watched him slice this off the fish.. insanely fresh, great texture.

UNI. my obsession continues.

“paul’s passion” roll. yellowtail, avocado, scallion, tobiko, chilli.

i LOvE.

xx

 

http://sushi-on-the-run.com/

portola valley lobster shack.

lobster rolls!

my mom took us to this gem, in portola valley near palo alto.

its my new favorite place for new england clam chowder. their “chowdah” is not as thick as many others, and has generous amounts of clam and chunks of potatoes. the creamy flavor is addictive.

the maine lobster rolls are generously portioned, fresh and light. my favorite is the bread roll- buttered, toasted and thin.

check out the texture of the bread “roll.” amazingly yum.

lOve it.

xx

http://www.oplobster.com/locations.htm

bruxies.

lunch at bruxies, chino hills.

this was our first time visiting this location. i like that it has more seating, and that their patio is dog friendly.

whats new..  the pastrami waffle sandwich, with thin sliced cucumber, slaw, and mustard. hearty and filling.

and my go-to fave, the prosciutto and gruyere.

mini bruxie maple syrup, (purchased separately) that my friend had me try-  it goes quite well with the flavors of this sandwich, and adds a sweet kick. i think im addicted.

love that bruxies has been expanding locations!

http://bruxie.com/

xx

Pappadeaux. houston, tx.

Pappadeaux seafood kitchen in Houston.

huge portions, great flavors. getting a taste of the french quarter for lunch. the menu was extensive, and there were sO many things i wanted to try.. it took me forever to choose my order.

we started with gulf coast oysters. these were a bit briny and salty for my taste, but fresh nonetheless.

i had the Louisiana gumbo + po boy combo, (so i could try more things!) i got the 1/2 a fried catfish po’boy + crawfish bisque. i couldn’t finish the po boy.. it was huGe. i enjoyed the catfish, which was fried with cornmeal batter; it gave the sandwich a nice crunchy texture, and held the tartar sauce well.

below is the crawfish combo, with crawfish etouffee & fried crawfish. loved the fried crawfish!

was stuffed, but, must.always. have. dessert. sO, we went with the highly recommended bread pudding, and it was worth it. the crispy and crunchy baked “crust” eaten with a bite of vanilla ice cream was delicious.. the pudding was soft and juicy, not dry at all, and generously dotted with rummy raisins. easily best bread pudding i’ve ever had.

pappadeaux is definitely food coma inducing food… lots of spices, carby, fried and rich. LOVE.

http://pappadeaux.com/home/

xx

D&C Bistro

lunch at d&c bistro in dazhi.

this was my first visit to d&c bistro.. being a regular at Danny & Company, i thought their second location was worth a try.

i ordered the lunch set menu, with the entree of ribeye cap steak, and started my meal with a latte.

casear salad. the dressing was creamy with a bite, good amounts of garlic.

pumpkin soup with foam. nice presentation, but the flavor was too light for me, a bit on the bland side.

my friend ordered the rib roast: looks delicious!

heres my rare steak. yuMm, as usual.

for dessert, their version of bread pudding with guava sorbet atop.

 

overall good experience, but if you’re normally in taipei, i don’t think its necessary to come to dazhi to dine here. i’d stick with the da an teppan danny&company location.

 

xx

dos chinos.

dos chinos.  taipei, tonghua street area.

this new little place serves pork tacos, burgers, fries and cubanos. they’re made upon ordering, and served hot.

sO good compared to assembly line taco places currently in taipei. their capacity is smaller, but you go for their quality and authenticity.

pulled pork tacos, with onion, guac, and cilantro. lime to squeeze. i asked for the hot salsa to be served separate.

spicy chorizo tacos. my fave. they make their own chorizo.

their current menu’s succinct selection.

the mixed pork taco, (middle) is chorizo + pulled pork combined.

pork sandwich (cubano) with home made pickles, mustard and mayo. this was juicy and quite good as well.

so glad to have a place to get a taco fix! i’ll try their burgers next time.

 

xx

 

tonghua st, alley 38, #8

 

Billy’s Boston Chowder House

Lunch in Los Gatos downtown.

cute homey interiors. no fuss dining.

new england clam chowder with oyster crackers. sO good. creamy, with chewy bits of clams and little bits of potato. this chowder is smoother than some, its definitely not “chunky” style.

the Lobster Roll. huGE chunks of lobster, dipped in butter. i ordered it with tarragon mayo on the side- which i promptly emptied onto my bun after taking a little taste. the brioche is toasted and super soft, which makes the sandwich easy to eat and enjoy the lobster. the slaw, is also pretty good. for $20, this dish is pretty reasonably priced.

 

definitely a new favorite.

xx

http://www.bostonchowderhouse.com/