Archive for January, 2007
phone is back.
By Karen | Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 | No Comments »
I was too impatient to wait for the hotel to courier my charger to me, so I went out and bought one last night. Yippee!
cheddar and herb scones
By Karen | Sunday, January 28th, 2007 | No Comments »
- Dish: Cheddar and Herb Scones
- Serving Size: 12 wedges
- Cookbook: Found online
Review:
Take Five Cafe on Granville and Hastings has an unforgettable savory scone that I tried to re-create this weekend. Taking a cheddar scone recipe I Googled online, I threw in minced red bell pepper and chopped green onion and omitted the ground red pepper. Something is still missing—sundried tomatoes, perhaps? It’s lacking something on the sweetness and the saltiness sides…or perhaps is just a little too bland when eaten alone. Next time, I’ll try the tomatoes, roasting the bell pepper, and adding fresh herbs instead. Feel free to use the recipe below as a base to make your own savory scone with your favourite ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground red pepper
- 2/3 cup Vegetable shortening
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/3 cups Milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees; grease a large baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, basil, thyme and red pepper.
- With a pastry blender, or two knives, cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 3/4 cup cheddar cheese. Add milk and mustard to dry ingredients and mix lightly with a fork until mixture clings together and forms a soft dough.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times. Divide dough in half. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a 7-inch round; cut into 4 wedges. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place scones one inch apart on prepared pan. Pierce tops with the tines of a fork. Brush tops with water and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
unplugged.
By Karen | Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 | No Comments »
That is the state of my cell phone at the moment. Stupid me left the charger in the socket as I rushed to check out on Friday night. Happily, the hotel is sending it back to me straight away.
If you need to get in touch, please email or message me as I have most likely stored your phone number on my cell without memorizing it first.
friday and saturday in san fran.
By Karen | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | No Comments »
Rob and Jen surprised me on Friday night when they said they’d be in town instead of on their ski trip. With the Napa plans gone moot due to their early winter closings, Friday evening was fairly open, so I invited the two to hang out with Tim, Kevin, and I for dinner at Betelnut.
Rob was working late so the three of us had a final group beer at the hotel and started the night off at Left at Albuquerque. You could call it a Tex-Mex joint, I suppose–we were only there to stave off hunger and alcoholic thirst while waiting the requisite 1 hour before being seated for Betelnut. Luckily for me and Tim, the restaurant had a premium tequila bar…woohoo! I greedily ordered two chilled margaritas and shared a sipping tequila, while we all partook in a pretty tasty spinach and artichoke dip.
Dinner at Betelnut was decent. The staff at Sitecore all gave good reviews and if it weren’t for the wait, we wouldn’t have discovered L@A, which in my opinion, was the better discovery of the evening. The five of us each ordered a dish to share and enjoyed a bottle of Kenwood Pinot Noir. So for me, the tally was: stout + margarita + tequila + wine. Not exactly a recommended combination! By the end of dinner, I was in a state of alcohol-induced sleepiness. We all parted ways soon after (but not before giving the boys the Vancouver magnets I had gotten “just in case”).
Rob and Jen had offered me their den to stay in that evening, which made it far easier for Saturday both commute-wise and for sightseeing. The morning was spent at Savor for brunch: R&J’s favourite spot in the Noe Valley for introducing to their visiting friends and family.
After a delicious meal, Jen and I headed out to Union Square for a shopping spree. We took in Victoria’s Secret, a 5-story Williams Sonoma (drool), See’s Candies, an ultra-designer Samsonite store, and of course, Tiffany’s! That place was amazing. I was tempted to buy something small just to freak Kurt out with a Tiffany’s bag in my possession, but the cheapest item was already $30, and for …playing cards?! I didn’t need a little blue box that badly.
All in all, my worries that my first lonely business trip abroad would suck were unfounded. Had out-of-this-world training, learned a ton, ate to my heart’s content, and made good business contacts and a couple of pals as well. Can’t wait to go back with Kurt in September…am already planning out the culinary itinerary! Napa, here we come…
(PS: I deliberately left details out about the food as I’m working on the reviews on the food blog…stay tuned.)
see’s candies
By Karen | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | No Comments »
- Store: See’s Candies
- Website: http://www.sees.com
- Product Info: Visit this page for chocolate images and descriptions
My family used to pick up a box of See’s Candies whenever we did a road trip to the States. It’s been years since I’ve tried it, so I had forgotten whether it was any good. Picked up a box while in San Francisco in January, and oh boy, how we enjoyed it! Make sure to look for this place if you’re going south of the border.
Tried:
- Rum Nougat – English walnuts, rum, cherries, raisin nougat (great)
- Mocha – Coffee milk chocolate buttercream (good)
- Key Lime Truffle – Rich buttercream with Key Lime
- Ginger – Glaced ginger ( good)
- Dark Almonds – Roasted almonds
- Milk Bordeaux™ – Brown sugar buttercream
- Strawberry Truffle – Rich buttercream with strawberry
- Apricot bon bon – Candied apricot surrounded by white chocolate
- Dark molasses chips (good)
- Light Chocolate Truffle – Rich chocolate buttercream with ground nutmeats on top (so-so)
alpha global sushi & bar
By Karen | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | 1 Comment »
- Name: Alpha Global Sushi & Bar
- Type: Sushi and Japanese Tapas
- Locations: Richards at Helmcken
- Website: http://www.plusalfa.com/
- Eating Options: sit-in, take-out
- Reservations: optional, though it gets crowded on weekends
- Accepts: cash, debit, all major credit cards
- Photos: view Flickr photoset or see thumbnails below
Review
My brother introduced me to Alpha after hearing my appreciation of the Guu chain. It’s run by two former Guu chefs and is a stone’s throw away from our place–assuming a stone can veer around the 3 condos in between. It took a while for us to finally check the place out, but since then, Alpha replaced Shabusen as our sushi joint of choice.
Since it’s more of a tapas bar, I should warn you that the sushi selection is limited. That being said, Alpha’s rendition on their sushi is reminiscent of The Eatery: fresh takes on familiar cuisine. The dynamite roll is one of the best I’ve had in town, and we can’t get enough of the dill salmon cali roll.
Alpha has two menus. The regular menu is uniquely presented inside the front and back covers of these ultra-strange mystic book series. It seems like a supplementary set that one would have gotten with a purchase of an encyclopedia library. The seasonal menu is an extra printout containing the weekly specials. We normally focus our orders from thish fresh sheet when we want to try new items. I love it when a restaurant does this sort of thing.
Tried:
Gekkeikan Sake – $4 small; $7.50 large
Menu description: served hot or cold
My favourite drink to accompany all the dishes below. I normally order the small size, served hot. When my sake buddy Jamie is in tow, we get the large =)
Edamame [eh-dah-MAH-meh] – $2.50
Menu description: boiled and salted fresh green soybeans
Kurt adores Alpha’s edamame. He claims that they must marinate the soybeans before steaming, because he swears that they’re much more savory than usual.
Mini Potato Croquette – $4.50
Menu description: deep-fried potato and beef croquette
Okay potato balls, but if you’re expecting beef, don’t hold your breath. I didn’t taste or see any beef in this dish. Perhaps it’s just friend in beef fat?
Calamari Salad – $7.50
Menu description: deep-fried calamari on a spring mix salad with balsamic dressing
We almost always order this dish (regular menu). The calamari is made of baby squid very delicately breaded and fried. Not greasy in anyway. Light and refreshing when paired with the greens and balsamic vinaigrette.
Gyoza – $5.50
Menu description: pan-fried pork and vegetable dumplings
Average gyoza fare. Similar to The Eatery, I wouldn’t recommend ordering this unless you are especially craving it. Everything else on the menu is so good that once you switch to eating this, the taste pales in comparison.
Tuna Garlic Pepper – $7.50
Menu description: black pepper and garlic flavoured seared tuna with ponzu sauce
Andy ordered this dish the first time we visited Alpha. It’s very good for a tuna offering but there are many more memorable items on the menu.
Update, July 1, 2007: We’ve had the tuna garlic pepper several times now and I take back what I said above. The ponzu and onion salsa along with the pile of roasted garlic served with the toro make this dish a very refreshing summertime item. I guess it just tastes better when the weather is warmer and your belly is full of sake!
Salmon Carpaccio – $7.50
Menu description: fresh salmon with caper dressing
Regular menu offering. Only had it once so far. The salmon is somehow marinated or prepped to be extra buttery. It’s almost as soft and supple as tuna. Disappointingly, only one caper per salmon slice. I was hoping for a mountain of capers! Those little things are goood.
Dynamite Roll – $5.50
Menu description: prawn tempura, avocado, tobiko, cucumber, mayo
The tempura is freshly cooked just before rolling it up. Most places dig into their prawn “reserve” in comparison. The sushi rice was also freshly made, so this roll was warm and moist and oh-so-deliciously fresh. We just tried this last week and will definitely become part of our regular order.
Spicy Tuna Roll – $4
Menu description: tuna, cucumber with spicy sauce
My favourite item on the regular menu. I usually hate spicy tuna rolls with a passion. These rolls are typically made with a sour type of red hot sauce akin to Korean spice, which I’m not a fan of. Alpha makes it differently and serves it with a generous slathering of spicy ponzu sauce. Be careful to pace yourself or the heat will build up on your tongue. Don’t add wasabi unless you want a spice overdose.
BBQ Shrimp Kushiyaki – $7.50
Menu description: Four skewers of grilled shrimp (8pc) with our original Oriental sauce
I was expecting something more from this dish. It’s a plainly grilled set of shrimp with no discernable BBQ flavour to it. Probably wouldn’t order it again or recommend it to anyone but an extreme shrimp addict.
Chicken Bomb – $6.50
Menu description: Chicken with spicy mayo sauce in deep fried spring-roll with sweet chili sauce
A recent addition to the seasonal menu. The bartender assured us it’d appeal to our spice craving. It was indeed spicy enough for our tastes and had a nice textural combo of crispy egg wrapper and tender breaded chicken.
Dill Salmon Cali Roll – $7.50
Menu description: Mango, avocado, crab meat and mayo wrapped with dilled salmon
Our top pick overall, but unfortunately, it’s only available on the seasonal menu. So far, we’ve noticed that it pops up at least once a month. The dill really complements both the salmon and the crab well. The yellow mayo is a perfect dipping sauce–don’t dilute the yumminess of this dish by dipping it in soy.
Update, July 1, 2007: Yippee! This is now a regular menu item! We cannot get enough of this roll!
Miracle on Richards St. – $7.50
Menu description: Creamy vanilla milk pudding
I order this seasonal dessert whenever available. It’s a tiny cupful, so don’t expect a lot. Topped with your typical asian jelly layer.
Seared Salmon Sashimi
Seasonal offering. Very large chunks of seared salmon smothered in a tangy, refreshing sauce. Very zingy and great in the springtime. Would order this one again and again.
“Go Canucks Go” Roll
Seasonal offering. Canucks just played that evening so we thought it was fitting. The prawn tempura was warm and tender and really makes this roll. It’s not too different from the dynamite roll, actually, so next time we’ll skip this more expensive item and go for the equally tasty but $5.50 dynamite roll.
Vancouver Roll – $5.50
Menu description: smoked salmon, avocado, crab meat, cucumber, mayo
Regular menu item. I personally am not a fan of smoked salmon so this roll was only so-so. Having said that, compared with smoked salmon rolls of other restaurants, this one is far superior.
Spicy seafood Age-Dashi-Tofu – $7.50
Menu description: calamari, prawn and deep-fried tofu with spicy sauce
Regular menu item. I’m not very big on XO sauce so when I first saw this dish drowning in it, I was turned off. Upon tasting the tofu, calamari, and octopus, I did a complete 180. The sauce is surprisingly subtle and each piece of seafood is perfectly cooked. No rubbery octopus, soggy tofu, or chewy squid in sight. This is absolutely worth ordering, and I’d most likely get this again the next time I go to Alpha. Word of warning: this is a large dish so if you’re eating on your own, it’s a meal in itself.
Grilled Toro-Pork
Seasonal offering. My, was this ever good. Small serving, unfortunately, so it didn’t last long with myself, Kurt, and Jamie wolfing it down. I just love a good pork belly dish!
Crispy Bacon Tofu Salad – $6.75
Menu description: tofu and crispy bacon on organic spring mix with our original japanese style dressing
Regular menu item. I’m a huge fan of the dressing that Alpha uses, and the bacon did complement this, but the tofu could have been more interesting. It didn’t absorb the flavours quite as much as I had expected it to. The next time I order greens, I’d forgo this one and opt for the yummy calamari salad.
Alpha’s Taco Rice – $8.50
Menu description: taco spice seasoned pork served on a bed of japanese rice, cheese and lettuce with our original tomato sauce
Regular menu item. Had this once when I was in the mood for a big rice bowl. Interesting take on a taco salad. It was decent for a Japanese interpretation of a Latin dish, and certainly a safe item I’d recommend to izakaya newbies that are still leery of things like beef tongue and octopus carpaccio.
memphis blues
By Karen | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | 4 Comments »
- Name: Memphis Blues
- Type: BBQ
- Locations: West Broadway
- Website: memphisbluesbbq.com
- Eating Options: sit-in, take-out
- Reservations: optional
- Accepts: cash, debit, all major credit cards
- Photos: see my Flickr photoset or click on the links below
Review:
I’ve already had a taste of the brisket from Memphis Blues. It was at one of Kurt’s staff parties; for me, it was the culinary highlight of the potluck spread. After eating mostly seafood, sandwiches, and Asian fare in San Francisco, my first request was to pig out on as much red meat as possible. So Kurt and I headed straight for Memphis Blues as soon as he picked me up from the airport.
It’s a pretty casual cafe, smelling deliciously of slow-cooked meat and corn bread. The walls are lined posters of the blues masters, and the rafters showcased bottles of hot sauce from around the world. Every table was armed with salt, pepper, and red and green Tabasco bottles. My kind of place.
With memories of the brisket foremost in my mind, I had no trouble figuring out what to order. We washed our meals down with microbrew and enjoyed the reactions of other tables when their giant platters of meat arrived. Watching the server was fun too–he cannily brought take-home boxes to the tables as soon as people began to sigh or loosen their belts. We went home very satisfied with the meat overdose–next time, though, we’ll forego the combos and just order a mountain of corn bread for a side.
Tried:
Potato salad
Very good potato salad. The boiled egg and dijon mustard make this salad robust, while the generous amount of cayenne gives it a nice spice level. This and the corn bread won my vote out of all the sides that came with the combos. Next time, I’m just going to order these two as separate sides, just to get more of each.
Corn Bread
Yum yum yum! My favourite of the sides. Baked with whole morsels of sweet corn. Do not forget to order this with your meat.
BBQ Pit Beans
Your average side of beans. Decent if eaten alone. It didn’t go well with the brisket or the pulled pork. Also tremendously gas-inducing!
Slaw
So-so coleslaw served room-temperature. I prefer chilled coleslaw. It was also bland for my taste. Seemed to be missing the usual zingyness that I expect from a good coleslaw.
Update: I’ve had this coleslaw several times via take-out and it is spectacular! It’s the first side dish that runs out. I don’t know why I didn’t like it when we ate it at the restaurant, but I’ve had a complete change of heart about this one.
Sliced Brisket
Extremely well-marbled brisket, sliced thick and juicy. I would have gobbled it all down if I could, but it lasted me two helpings! My favourite.
Pulled Pork
Kurt’s pick, and his favourite. It has a slightly smokier taste than the brisket, but I don’t believe it is smoked. It was served with fries that were a little salty, so I’m still out on this one. Will have to taste it again sans salty fries.
the spinnaker
By Karen | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | No Comments »
san rafael adventures.
By Karen | Friday, January 19th, 2007 | 3 Comments »
This week I’m in San Rafael, which is about a 20-minute drive north and across the Golden Gate from San Francisco. Pronounced “San Raffelle”, it is home to the training facility of a system that I’ll be deploying this year for work.
My first night in was a nightmare. Everything seemed to go wrong. My luggage was labelled as check-in by mistake, and I had to speak to 7 different people at the security gate in order to bring them as carry-on. The flight was smooth and allowed me to devour a “guilty pleasure” read–one of the new Kate Forsyth books (fantasy/sci-fi) that I discovered at the library. The cab ride to the hotel cost $100 and was only payable in cash (cabbies everywhere seem to hate credit). I was expecting a high fee since it was indeed quite far away, but on top of that, the cabbie tried to screw me by trying to say that the hotel wasn’t in San Rafael but in Terra Linda, resulting in his rate to be closer to $135. Didn’t get to enjoy my first trip over the Golden Gate as I was too busy calling the hotel and clarifying address and directions for my cab driver. Even with that, he got lost, so I had to tell him where to go because he apparently wasn’t good at understanding the directions. Argh.
That experience totally put me off from going out that evening, so I ate soup and meatloaf at the hotel restaurant. They give you a complimentary wine on your first dinner there, but the cabernet was like swill and stained my lips purple after the first few sips. The room was pretty nice: king-sized and recently renovated and equipped with free wireless access. A little cold at nights but there is a great “heat” setting on the air conditioner that brings the temperature up to a comfortable 20C.
The next day could not have been any more different from the first. Took a short cab ride to the training site and banked on there being some breakfast pastries there instead of having to eat hotel fare again. My bet paid off–yummy muffins and OJ awaited. On top of that, Sitecore ordered us lunch and the managing director took us all out for a very nice seafood dinner at The Spinnaker in Sausalito. It’s right on the water and has a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate. Of course, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take food photos! See Flickr.
After dinner, we were shown a “scenic route” back to San Rafael, through the very narrow, hilly, and windy roads in Sausalito. The lanes were like a labyrinth, with barely enough room for the cars to squeeze around the bends. As we drove higher, you could see the views of the Bay, the lit pillars of the Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco skyline. The surrounding hills were dotted with lights. It reminded me of the drive up the Sea-to-Sky highway on the way to Whistler. Just gorgeous.
Today was another fun day, both in training and afterwards. Most of the trainees are staying at the same hotel, so the bulk of us got to know each other better by going for drinks after Wednesday’s session and over dinner at The Spinnaker. Again, lunch was ordered from Eduardo’s nearby, which has fantastic soup and sandwiches–and I am usually not a sandwich fan. Three of us did a mall run to Northgate after training, where we compared notes with what was and wasn’t available in Canada. Shortly after, we drove into San Francisco, taking a detour just before the Golden Gate to take pictures at the harbour lookout. I was expecting to go dancing so didn’t take the good camera, but managed to snap a few pictures on the cameraphone which I’ll upload to Flickr soon.
Once downtown, we got a little disoriented but wound up driving down one of those really steep and uber-windy roads on Lombard. You practically had to slow down to 5K in order to clear the 6+ hairpin turns. The turning radius on a PT Cruiser isn’t all that bad, either.
We got ourselves back onto Market and Castro, and headed to a popular local pizzeria across from the Castro Theatre. The guys from training were meeting a friend to attend “The Big Gay Movie Night”. It was essentially a rowdy double-billing of Moulin Rouge and To Wong Foo.
I distinctly remember not liking MR the first time I watched it, but I suppose it was partly to due with us not seeing it in theatres. When the music is blaring all around you like that, you can’t help but get reeled into it. To Wong Foo was great as usual. Nothing like watching John Leguizamo at his drag-queen best, or Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes acting like girly girls.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to Cafe Kokomo for any salsa dancing tonight, or to Glas Kat on Tuesday. It was just too complicated to get around. Next time, I’ll remember to budget for a car rental–it seems like a must-have here unless you restrict yourself to downtown SF.
Tomorrow’s plans are to start training an hour early in order to book it out to Napa for a quick wine tour. On Saturday, I’m hoping to check my bags in early at the airport and return by BART to eat my fill at the Fisherman’s Wharf stands and get a little closer to Alcatraz. Gotta remember to grab an iTunes card for Dixon, so while I’m on Market I may as well see if there’s a Victoria’s Secret around for some souvenir shopping for Kurt!
golden mile cellars 2005 chardonnay
By Karen | Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 | No Comments »
- Type: Chardonnay (White)
- Country: Canada
- Appellation: Okanagan
- Made in: Oliver, BC
- Winery: Golden Mile Cellars
- Vintage: 2005
On the label:
Our 24 acre family estate vineyards are located on the renowned “Golden Mile”, south of Oliver, B.C. in the heart of the finest grape growing region in Canada.
Review:
Dean recommended this chardonnay over the Inniskillin that I was going to use with the carbonara sauce for dinner that night. He said it was one of his favourites, and you gotta trust the pick of a guy who’d be content to sample wine every day for the rest of his life.
This bottle was as rich in flavour than the chardonnays I’ve had in the past, but somehow light and smooth going down. Kurt described other chardonnays to be like chugging a bottle of JD. I could not stop sniffing this wine; the bouquet reminds me of jasmine or green tea. I guess you’d call it floral, then? I normally don’t like smelling wine too deeply as the aromas are often young and in-your-face. I could have been happy to take in this wine for the rest of the evening.
As we used 1/2 cup of it in the carbonara sauce, the wine did go extremely well with the spaghetti alla carbonara and caesar salad we had for dinner. The lightness of this wine relative to other chardonnays may mean that you can have this with seafood too, but to be safe, we’ll stick to pastas or other cream-based dishes.
Keep this bottle in mind the next time you have pasta for dinner.