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6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

 Occasion: Brunch with some of my favorite girls <3. Girls day out in Napa! 11.20.11

Salad of Little Gem and Citrus with dill cream dressing, toasted sunflower seeds, sliced radishes and shaved shallots 

I loved the chunks of grapefruit and oranges incorporated into the salad.  The grapefruit were juicy and bittersweet, but more on the sweet side and the oranges were juicy and sweet.  Not only do the pulpy fruits add a great texture, but also a very refreshing feel to the salad.  I love sunflower seeds in salads, its a cheaper alternative to pinenuts that tastes just as good.  It was an amazing salad!

 

Egg's Benedict with house cured ham, english muffin, poached hen egg, hollandaise

Look how gorgeous they are! I definitely underestimated my appetite because I almost finished two of these.  The english muffins were delicious especially drenched in the hollandaise sauce. It's usually so rich in flavor that I barely finish a whole serving.

  Sauteed Spinach

I love spinach, but they made it way too salty for my liking.  With something rich like egg's benedict, I feel that the veggies should have been more bland.  That's just my opinion though.

 

Cripsy Potatoes with melted onions

These were so delicious.  The potatoes were deep fried to a perfect crisp and the melted onions were addicting.  We all loved it.

My beautiful plate of food!

 

Rocky road sundae
chocolate ice cream with almonds and marshmallow cream

I was already so full, but I had to give this dessert a try!  The almonds were delicious and the wrinkles that you usually see on the nut were completely smooth.  It was a yummy dessert, but not one that I can have too much of!

Chez Papa Resto

4 Mint Plz
San Francisco, CA 94103

Occasion: We miss Hana party! Actually a very belated going away party! Party of 12 with great company, good drinks and delicious eats! 11.21.11

Cheese bread

It definitely held me down for a little bit.  Since I arrived early, I was starving!!

Sonoma Farms Foie Gras Pot de Crème, Banyuls, Toasted Pain d’éspices

I definitely did not expect it to come in a jar, but it still tasted good.  Perhaps I was really hungry.  I like how we could use it as a spread for the baguette toast it came with.  Not overly rich in flavor, but still tasty!

"Canned" Carlsbad Aqua Farm Mussels, Sherry Vinegar, Tomato Broth

Wow, they really meant mussel in a can.  There's something about the look of this that did not seem as appetizing as I had imagined it to be.  I was expecting mussels with the shell.  Not only that, but it was served kind of cold.  I don't know about you, but I like my mussels served hot!

Sous Vide Duck Egg, Duck Confit Hash, Caramelized Onion, Purple Mustard

Delicious and tender duck confit hash.  Beautifully presented and demolished very quickly by us.

Hamachi Sashimi, Soy Glaze, Serrano Pepper, Cilantro-Avocado Foam

Delicious! I love hamachi sashimi and how refreshing this dish was.  The jalepeno peppers complemented the fish really well and added a nice kick to the fish.  I loved the idea of the cilantro avocado foam (wish I had more of that).  My complaint was that there aren't enough for a party size like ours.

Kobe Beef Tartare, Dijon Mustard, Capers, Shallots, Garlic, Toast Points

More please!! I just love beef tartar! It did not fail me here either.  The combination of the flavors all together spread on a little toasted piece of bread= perfection.

Calamari

Seriously, three pieces only? That's definitely not enough! I love the chewy texture of calamari, different from how I usually have it (fried).  Definitely a nice little change.

Lettuce gem with fried onions

Another filler to hold us off until our main entree came out.  Love the crunchy crispy flavorful fried onion chips.  That was the highlight of the salad.

Roasted Sonoma Lamb Saddle, Shank-Stuffed Piquillo Pepper, Smoked Yogurt, Romanesco, Mint Lamb Jus 

Jenn's entree was freaking delicious. The lamb meat was tender and not gamey at all.  The smoked yogurt complemented the shank stuffed piquillo pepper so well. I really really really liked the whole combination which gave it a somewhat Mediterranean  feel to the dish. Amazing!

Roasted Butterfish, Parisienne Gnocchi, Brussels Sprouts, Brown Butter Beet Bearaise

My butterfish, which was good and a much lighter dish than the lamb.  Absolutely flavorful and cooked well (soft meat).  Gnocchi was not too bad, soft and chewy.  Overall the dish was good, but the Lamb definitely won my stomach that night.

Pork Chop

Another great dish.  I don't usually order porkchop, but I would definitely say that if you're a fan of porkchops that this is worth trying.

Brussel Sprouts

Truffle Risotto

Beefsparerib dish??

We got one of everything of the Desserts on the menu!

Beijing Restaurant

1801 Alemany Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94112

Occasion: Saturday night dinner.  We were too lazy to go out and eat so we ordered for delivery. 11.19.11

 Beef Stew Noodles Soup

We all agreed that this was the best thing that we ordered.  The handmade noodles are definitely the best I've ever had!  I love the bouncy, springy, chewy texture of the noodles!  The broth was pretty good and not too spicy and the meat was quite tender.   I also like how they had the chinese relish in it, which adds a crunchy component to the dish.

Three Flavor Dumpling

We love ordering dumplings and I would probably say that this was one of the better dishes of the night.  I still enjoyed it even though the skin was on the thicker side.   I don't know what exactly it is about vinegar and dumplings, but they are delicious eaten together!

 Steam House Special Bao Zi

We thought they were Xiao Long Baos, but nope! They were just steamed buns!  Since I was expecting something completely different, these little buns were a disappointment.  The buns were dry and the filling was mediocre.

 Onion Pancake

The dough was more bready than I'd like for it to be.  I usually like it more of a flaky dough instead of a bready dough, which results in drier pancake.  The pancake from Taste of Formosa was so much better!  Only good thing about this pancake over the Taste of Formosa one is that it's less greasy!

 Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce

The sauce was was odd and not what we had all expected.  It's not like the ZhaZhangMien Sauce that I'm familiar with from other Chinese restaurants or Korean restaurants.  Though the sauce was just whatever, the noodles were perfect!  You can tell that they're hand made, as they are springy, chewy and bouncy.  There's nothing I enjoy more than home made noodles!

Szechuan Chicken

Delicious! Especially when we have low expectation of this dish.  I didn't know what to expect and what it would come with, but I loved the baby corns and the watercrest in this dish because it definitely added texture and flavor to it.  I was a bit hesitant of the spice level since it's a szechuan dish, but surprisingly I ended up really enjoying it.  This was the second best dish of the night!

Taste of Formosa

2428 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121

Occasion: Friday night dinner with Henry, Henry's sister and her bf.  I love eating with more people, that way we can order more dishes and try a little bit of everything. 11.18.11

House made Soy Milk (Cold)

This is a traditional drink Taiwanese people drink.  According to my Taiwanese friends, it's best served hot and is often complemented with any meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner), but most commonly drank with breakfast.  It was a cold chilly night and I actually hoped for him to order the hot kind.  It was really refreshing and not too sweet.  It's not as rich and creamy as whole milk and is actually more watered down  I had a taste and thought it was very tasty, but Henry loved it so much he ordered two.

Mustard green with shredded pork fried rice cake

I love the chewy consistency of rice cake, so this was something I did somewhat enjoy.  It was just a little to salty for my liking.  Perhaps it was the chinese relish in the dish  (suan cai).  Even with all the dishes that came out, I always found myself picking at this dish!

Oyster Crepe/ Omelet

I love love loved the texture of the omelet.  It was warm, gooey, slimy and delicious.  It's definitely nothing I've ever tried before.  I fell in love with it. There was also some special sweet sauce drizzled over it. I'm not usually a fan of cooked oyster because 1)it tastes really fishy and 2) I do not like the texture of it.  The combination of the taste and the texture does not please my taste buds, but not in this case.  It was manageable.

Salted sticky rice roll

I was really looking forward to this, but it was quite disappointing.  There was too much rice and not enough filing.  I had this for the first time when I was in Hacienda Heights, CA and it was so good.  The rice was fluffy, moist and sticky and filled with a lot of shredded pork and minced up goodies.  It's lacking in filling and flavor here at Taste of Formosa.

Beef with green onion

With everything we ordered, the boys felt the need for some protein to fill them up.  Though there was a slight kick to this dish, it was really good! It was flavorful and the meat was not too rubbery.

Scallion Pancake

I love scallion pancakes.  It's simple, but it's so tasty.  The pancake was flaky and buttery and was absolutely flavorful.  It's a great snack to have!

Wonton with hot sauce

Everyone else loved it and it was Henry's favorite dish, but it was a little bit too spicy for me.  This was a different kind of spice, not one that I've ever had before.  It had a  roasted/ burnt taste to it and in my opinion it tasted like some kind of Indian spice.   

 Beef Noodle Soup

YUM! Broth was very hearty and not too salty.  We shared this amongst four people, so it didn't seem like too much.  Noodles were good and the beef chunks were pretty tender.  Overall, I thought it was pretty delicious and perfect for a cold autumn night!

Red bean paste cake

The dough is the same as that of the scallion pancake; flaky and buttery goodness. It was filled with a red bean paste and was served hot.  The read bean paste was smooth and creamy and was not overly sweet.  I love these types of flaky dough, so I enjoyed it a lot. Yum!

Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous

699 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Occasion: Jenny's Birthday cake 11.12.11

   
 Rosemary Pistachio Ice Cream Cake 

It was nothing I've ever had before. Definitely unique and one of a kind. I would never think to enjoy this combination of flavor as an ice cream flavor. The hint of rosemary was refreshing and the pistachio was not to sweet. Though the cake was a little dry, I think that's what you have to expect from an ice cream cake. Overall, a delicious cake!

Zanze's Cheesecake

2405 Ocean Ave
San Francisco, CA 94127

Occasion:  Sophia and Joe brought cheesecake to Thomas' place when he had invited us over for dinner. 11.05.11

Plain cheesecake

Seriously one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had!  It was nice and fluffy and melts in your mouth.  I'm used to having dense and rich cheesecake that can get overwhelming after a few bites, but it was not the case with this.  I could have eaten a whole quarter of it, if not for the fact that I was super stuffed from dinner already.  I also really enjoyed the graham cracker topping of the cheesecake. Instead of having the graham cracker as the bottom crust, it's on top instead.  Over all it's a really nice and light dessert that's absolutely delicious and perfect to bring to get togethers, parties or birthdays!

Butterfly

Pier 33

San Francisco, CA 94111

Occasion: Celebrating Jenny's Quarter Century! Party of 18. 11.12.11

   
 Shots on the house

Because we were not seated til an hour after our reservation

Birthday shot with the Bday girl! Cheers to the freaking weekend.

 

Kalua Pig with Butter Lettuce Cups 

Hoisin BBQ Sauce, Pepper Brunoise, Toasted Cashews, Scallions

Complimentary because we were kept waiting!  We were hungry, so they tasted pretty good to me.

 
Salmon rolls 

Smoked salmon strawberry salad rolls with spicy garlic and ginger dipping sauce

Definitely unique! The two vietnamese people we had at our table thought it was weird.  I thought it was quite refreshing.  Strawberries, salmon and fishsauce? The savoriness of the smoked salmon, the tangy sweetness of the strawberry and the spicy sweetness of the fish sauce. Sounds like a weird combo, but it worked for me.  I definitely would not consider this to be an authentic dish, but still something interesting enough to try.

 
Duck Confit Spring Rolls 

with chinese mustard and honey dipping sauce

Not your typical fried egg roll.  Duck meat is definitely not something you would normally find in a fried egg roll, but the sesame honey dipping sauce worked well for the duck confit spring roll.

 
 Fire Fried Calamari with a tabasco remoulade and toasted garlic

It was nothing extraordinary and I find it hard to mess this dish up, but it was a nice flavorful crispy snack to have before our entrees came.  We enjoyed it even though the portion size was small.

 
 Crab and mascarpone stuffed crispy chicken breast with corn, shrimp and shiitake mushroom fricassee, Pat Chun Black Rice Vinegar, Arugula Salad 

This was my entree of choice.  I usually stray away from ordering chicken, but the description of it made it seem so delicious, that I just wanted to try it.  It came out looking like this big fried crab ball.  

 
The chicken cut in half.  Doesn't it just look amazing.  Thin layer of crispy skin, with moist chicken breast stuffed with generous chunks of crab meat and mascarpone cheese. What an impressive dish!  It came in such a generous portion that I was not able to finish it.  Taking something as simple as chicken meat and turning it into something pretty amazing. I applaud!
 

Grilled Kalbi Skirt Steak “Surf and Turf”

Shrimp and Scallops, Crispy Egg Noodle Nest, Soy Jus de Veau, Baby Bok Choy 

I was actually overwhelmed with the flavor of the sauce.  It was too salty for my liking.  The kalbi skirt steak was supposed to be cooked medium rare but came more on the well done side.  The meat however was pretty tender.  The crispy egg noodle nest was just mediocre and we could have found something better at a more authentic Chinese restaurant.

Pan Seared Wild King Salmon

Toasted Garlic Cous Cous, Red Pepper Miso Coulis, Cherry Tomato, Fried Rock Shrimp

This was Jenny's choice.  I usually would have ordered a fish dish, but the chicken sounded more appealing to me.  In my opinion I thought the fish had a very fishy taste to it, not to say that I can't stand the taste, because I can.  I just thought it was really unusual, because I don't usually think salmon is all that fishy.  The meat was tender, but I liked the chicken more. 

Warm Chocolate Torte

with Mitchell's coffee ice cream

I think I've discovered a new liking for chocolate souffles.  I loved it.  The outside was soft and spongy and the insides were filled with chocolate gooey goodness.  The cold coffee ice cream complemented the decadent warm cake perfect and I nearly finished this dessert.

 
Classic Vanilla Creme Brulee

I was stuffed, especially nearly devouring the creme brulee.  I had a couple bites and didn't think it was anything to rave about.  Nice creamy custard fillng with a thin torched crust.