Post 43.4: Bay Area - Smorgasbord

I'm all pooped out from writing lengthy posts about San Tung and Burma SuperStar, so this post is going to consolidate all the remaining smorgasbord of meals that I had during my weekend trip to the Bay Area.

Breakfast @ Country Inn Cafe (Bay Area: Santa Clara)

I had my first meal less than an hour after I landed at SJC.  Vickee whisked me away to a very filling breakfast with Ian, Aparna and Jeff.

Country fried steak and eggs over-medium

The country gravy smothered over the top was amazing-delicious.
This was the server's recommendation, and it made the perfect protein-packed breakfast.

Swedish pancakes with lingon berry butter
The crepe-like pancakes were light, but I could barely finish after inhaling the country fried steak.

Wine tasting @ Picchetti Winery (Bay Area: Cupertino)

What's the best way to digest a very filling breakfast? Mid-morning wine tasting of course! This is where my eyes were opened to the Mission Angelica, a Port wine that tasted like honey and was thick like syrup.  The sommelier dropped an ice cube and a lemon rind into each of our glasses for the tasting.  Quite interesting.

The entrance to Picchetti Winery

Wild peacocks roam the premises, so it's not a good idea to bring your pets.

Benches adorn the open grassy area, which makes for relaxing picnics.

The first tasting of many

2007 Chardonnay, Leslie's Estate

Picchetti charges $5 for five tastings.

The tasting room
Festive carolers provide holiday cheer as wine connoisseurs taste their favorites.
Barrels of wine are nestled right under the floor boards of the tasting room.

Lunch @ Santouka inside Mitsuwa (Bay Area: San Jose)

Nothin' beats the ramen from Santouka.  The chain restaurant is usually located inside a Mitsuwa Marketplace food court, but I think their ramen beats out local LA favorites Daikokuya, Orochon, and Shinsengumi.  A simple bowl of noodles in the afternoon really made me feel like I was on vacation.  And a walk around Daiso helped jump start my digestion.

The miso ramen and its spicy sister
Wood ear mushrooms, slices of bamboo and kamaboko lay atop the noodle bed.
The chasu is fatty but firm, and the broth is flavorful but not extremely salty.  The fish cake (kamaboko) is al dente, and the wood ear mushrooms have a texture similar to cartilage.

More wine @ Press Club (SF: SOMA/Union Square)

At Candice's suggestion we headed over to the Press Club near the Metreon to chill out with some wine.  The venue's basement has a spacious modern interior and had different sections of bar counters catering to specific types of wine.  The music was current but not pop, loud but not blaring... the crowd was Financial District yuppie cool.  They've got an interesting concept in terms of paying for the wine.  Patrons swap their Visas and MasterCards for the Press Club's own plastic charge card, and it's later used to cash and check out.

99 bottles of wine on the wall
Jamie, who happens to work for a wine distributor, was kind enough to show us a red wine with tastes of vanilla and leather.  Insert S&M joke here.

Late-night grub @ Golden Boy Pizza (SF: North Beach)

We shed our pre-midnight yuppie casual cool for a bit of post-midnight college kid debauchery at John Colins.  How can you pass up a night out without stopping by Zorro or Golden Boy?

Clam pizza
Minced clams are hidden under a chopped shrub of parsley.  Just a bit of intoxication augments the amazing-delicious taste.  Supposedly, Golden Boy makes the clam pizza only every so often; I'm glad I got to try it before my memory completely faded.

Breakfast @ Curly's Coffee Shop (Bay Area: North Beach)

I've passed Curly's a number a times when walking through the North Beach neighborhood, and I've asked my friend Grace, "How come we never eat here?" It always seemed like a very friendly, neighborhood coffee shop... and it is.  The coffee shop serves up traditional American breakfast with Japanese flair.  I'd stop by again for an early morning meal as a substitute for the long waits of the nearby brunch places.

Spam and eggs
The infamous canned lunch meat grilled alongside eggs with toast and hash browns
I ordered eggs over-medium... not solid but not too runny.  Perfect.
The hash browns were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

The ramen
Japanese ramen submerged in a pork broth with chasu and egg.
The soup was sticky and thick, almost like gravy.  The egg was cooked very well... medium-boiled with a slightly gooey and runny yolk.  The broth was a little on the salty side.

I was actually quite surprised at how much I accomplished in less than 48 hours in the Bay Area.  Half a dozen meals, wine tasting, spontaneous bar hopping, 2 near-missed flights, and 2 chance encounters with Nick Wong who ate at the same restaurants for lunch and dinner, San Tung and Burma SuperStar, as I did in the same day.  Minus the sprint through SFO to make my flight back to LA, I felt accomplished and ready to take on corporate America on Monday morning.  Until the next trip, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20110113/20101212

Post 26.13: Vancouver - Final Day

It was the final day of my visit to Vancouver, and there was just one item left on my bucket list for Canada... poutine. 

Poutine is Canada's national dish (but this is debatable).  Poutine consists of French fries topped off with gravy and cheese curds (with variations).  Poutine is a fun to say on repeat.  Poutine looks absolutely horrific at first glance, but... poutine tastes like heaven.

On the way to the airport, Amanda took me to Belgian Fries on Commercial St., where the bar hoppin' happens.  This is where we found the most expensive poutine in all of Canada.  The cashier clerk at the shop ensured me that both the potatoes and cheese curds were shipped over from Quebec, where poutine originated.  However, the travel from Quebec was not the reason for its hefty price.  This was the most expensive poutine because...



... a parking citation and a tow-away fee came with it.

Yes, you heard right. 

Having forgotten that it was rush hour on a Monday, we parked just after 4:00 p.m. when, of course, Commercial St. becomes a tow-away zone.  (Looks like some things in Canada are the same as they are in America, eh?)

Since we were already running late, Amanda suggested that we order the poutine and eat it in the car as we rush to the airport... but as we were waiting for the Canadian deliciousness to finish frying to a golden crisp, I was relishing in a pint of ice cold, local Canadian brew.  (Sounds a bit strange hearing it as... ice cold, Canadian brew, doesn't it?)  And when heaven contained in a styrofoam box arrived, I couldn't wait to have some.  While Amanda reminded me, "You're going to miss your flight," I feverishly tore through the plastic bag and popped the top of the styrofoam box the same way a mechanic would pop the hood of a smoking car.



These fries were hot.  Like... literally steaming hot.  My first bite just about torched the nsides of my mouth.  It took 60 seconds to fully bite, chew, and engulf the ridiculously burning hot fry... just once.  Whew.

Where the fries had been fortunate to be graced by the gravy's golden touch, the potato was pillow soft.  Where the gravy had missed, the fries were still crisp.  It was easy to taste both the crispy portions of the fry and the tender soft areas too.  I really like how the freshly melted cheese curds burst with a bit of saltiness juxtaposed with the relatively sweet brown gravy.

I had three bites before I slammed the top back down on the box.  Just hearing the haunts of, "You're going to miss your flight..." was enough for me to get in gear for the race to the airport. 



Too bad... while I was enjoying this amazing-delicious poutine (merely three bites) and polishing off my glass of Granville Island honey blonde, Amanda's car was being towed away by parking enforcement.

Upon walking outside of the shop, I heard Amanda ask, "Wherrrre's... my... carrrr...?"

And though I was inclined to respond with "right there," I couldn't.  I suggested that we walk further down the street, but that suggestion was futile since there were no cars left on our side of Commercial St.  And that's when we saw... the tow truck.  And... the tow truck driver.



The driver with his new catch, seeing Amanda run towards his tow truck, slammed on the gas pedal and literally almost ran my now carless Canadian companion over.  Jackass!

Thankfully, though, Amanda's friend Allan saved the day.  He not only picked us up but helped us find the automobile prison and stayed with us until the car was released.  Super props to Allan.  (Thank you, sir.)

But now it was up to us to race to the airport in time to check in (my bag was full of maple syrup and every candy and cookie made from maple syrup imaginable), pass through security, and clear Customs and Immigration.  In the end, I made it.  But not after being (again) detained by security for suspicious items (maple syrup cookies?) and having my bag emptied and flipped through.  Daaamn yooou, Caanaadaaaaa!

But what's life without a little bit of drama and excitement, right?

Thanks to Amanda for being a wonderfully gracious hostess.  I learned quite a few things about Canada and its people (like how they stop talking to me after they find out I'm American) and its food.  I will be back.  For sure.  Until the next trip though, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20100811/20100705