the sea.

we celebrated my sisters birthday with a family dinner at the sea by alexanders steakhouse in norcal.

i have to say, excellent service. upon arrival, we were greeted warmly, our coats were taken and we were seated by the bar to wait for the rest of our party. when everyone arrived we proceeded to the table, immediately offered water and choices of bread- LOVE their bread selections. i appreciate that they had inquired if there was a special occasion we were celebrating upon booking, and had prepared in advance. there was a happy birthday notecard from the restaurant for my sister at the table, hosted a champagne toast after we ordered, and a happy birthday dessert brought out before our other desserts were served. great attention to detail in service.

now onto the food. we ordered so much, with a party of 8.. the portions were heartier than we remembered.

amuse bouche.

hamachi shooters. my fave!

kumamoto oysters.

the sea’s fried clam chowder. not thick, but still creamy. deceptively filling. the picture below is half of a serving. i said we would be sharing a few orders of soup, and they went ahead and split the bowls for us so that everyone at the table had their own.

mini crab cakes.

the entree special, seared scallops with spaghetti squash.

sides, wild mushrooms and seasonal veggies. totally unnecessary orders for us, since we were so full. we barely touched the sides at dinner, but it was good the next day!

b’s entree of wagyu flat iron steak, with tempura kabocha. yuM.

chai latte with dessert.

dessert, “pumpkin patch”

candles for the birthday girl!

i was originally worried about coming here with a large party, especially with parents that don’t like to sit through super long meals, but in the end i didn’t have to worry because the course timing was excellent, and they kept offering my dad more bread, which made him happy. overall it was a great dining experience.

xx

http://www.theseausa.com/

Morimoto, napa.

lunch at morimoto, on a recent visit to napa.

it was hot out, so i ate light, ordering only sushi. the signature toro tatare was amazing. beautifully presented, and taken in little bites of so many flavor combos.

the condiments are, nori paste, avocado, sour cream, chives, wasabi and puffed crunchy rice cracker. served with dashi soy and a little dallop of caviat atop the tartare.

below are the nigiri i ordered a la carte. ( yes they come in 1pc per order) the sushi was just.. good, a bit underwhelming. the ikura and tuna were the freshest that day. next time, i think i’d order his specialty and cooked dishes and skip the sushi

 

will be back to try a lunch set. the sea urchin carbonara pasta looked good..

xx

 

http://www.morimotonapa.com/

muracci’s japanese curry.

muracci’s in los altos.

best hamburger steak curry ever. you need to call in and order it ahead, as it takes about half an hour to prepare. muracci’s is usually packed, with a waiting line.. so either come earlier or later than the lunch/dinner rushes, or call in with a reservation.

that said.. here it is.

hamburger curry. the meal is served with a small salad, and comes with either white or brown rice.

the pickled veggies. i LOVE the red radish.. so i order and pay for an extra large side portion of it, as its an integral part of my meal.

closer shot of the hamburger steak.. perfection.

 

be warned that their curry is on the spicier side.. so their mild, for me, is already hot enough.

 

xx

http://www.muraccis.com/indexLosAltos.html

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

Arya.

Arya Global cuisine in Cupertino.

i lOve tadigh. ever since my gf introduced it to me 10 years ago, ive looked for it on menus wherever i gO. it consists of

crispy deep fried saffron rice, with different sauce/curries atop.

entree of chicken and beef koobideh. serve atop saffron rice pilaf, with a roasted tomato.

i also ordered cucumber yogurt (not pictured) to go with my meal.. i like to dip the meats in it, and mix it in with the rice.

 

dessert of a passionfruit ice cream encased in a white chocolate shell.

 

 

xx

 

19930 Stevens Creek Boulevard  Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-9606

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/

back a yard.

dinner at Back A Yard, a caribbean american grill in dtsj.

jerk pork plate. with fried plantains, dirty rice, and salad. spicy jerk sauce on the side.

goat stew- the daily special. soft and tender, a little gamey goat flavor.

mac n cheese. a must order for me.

beef meat pie. this is almost a meal in itself, but i ate 1/2 of it as a side. i topped it with a ton of ketchup.

we also ordered an extra side of plantains for the table. i LOVE fried plantains. the caramelized sugar from the plantain on the heat, seals in the soft gooeyness of the ripe fruit.. it’s like having dessert for dinner.

i always enjoy caribbean food bc there are sO many flavors.

 

xx

 

http://www.backayard.net/    80 North Market Street, San Jose, CA

the cheese board collective.

pizza @ the cheese board collective, berkeley.

the concept. worker owned co-op. they serve ONE type of vegetarian pizza per day- no tomato sauce. live music.

and customers approve. the line was all the way down the street to the corner on our visit..

todays pizza:

cheesy goodness.

the verdict. it was good cheese, so of course it was tasty. however- for me, i really like red sauce on my pizzas.. sO, i think of this as another type of food.. if i’m craving a “pizza” i wouldn’t come here.. but for gooey cheese, more of a flatbread… most definitely.

yummy root beers. great ambience.. and the line went surprisingly fast.

 

Home

 

xx