San Francisco Soup Company - Eh, Okay...

Restaurant: San Francisco Soup Co.
Address: Crocker Galleria and Westfield Food Emporium
Cuisine: Soups, sandwiches, and salads

-Visit 1: June something, I forgot-



I like soup. I like sandwiches. I like salads. Sometimes I do not know why I eat more of them. One day, I was walking around in the FiDI, ended up at the Crocker Galleria, and wanted to get something to eat. San Francisco Soup Co. has a lunch deal where you get a small soup and either a salad or sandwich for about 7 dollars. Eh, why not.



Here, you pick your own sandwich from already plastic-wrapped sandwiches. I DID NOT KNOW THAT. I thought they would be freshly made, but no. So I sounded rather stupid when I asked the server for a sandwich. Anyway, I chose a broccoli cheese soup since it was one of those soups that is not available all the time. I got that and a turkey and cheese sandwich. So I took my soup and sandwich and found a table outside.



Here is the soup:



I really like a canned soup that has chicken, cheese, broccoli and potato. This soup from SFSCo. does not have the chicken and potato, but I was hoping it would be good anyway. As you can see, it really looks like puke. But really, it was pretty good. It was good to dip the sourdough bread in it to sop up some of the soup. You really can taste and see the broccoli. The cheese was good, but it has this gritty texture. Kinda like that cheese you put in the microwave, nuke it, and then it gets heated so hot that the oils come out and the cheese has this gritty feel to it. It was good at first, but after a few more spoonfuls, I couldn’t take anymore.

The sandwich:



Like the soup, it was eh, okay. What really irked me was how tough the bread was. Okay, okay, I KNOW that it’s sourdough, but in the process of gnawing through the bread, the filling slipped out. I love turkey and cheese and all that, but it was pretty bland and ordinary. Not your Little Lucca’s sammie at all. Eh, they tried. I wasn’t impressed that much.

-Visit 2: June 27, 2007-

On this day, I felt sucky. I really had a f*cked up day. Someone let me down real bad. I went walking for something to eat, but the thought of food made me want to yak. Yeah, it was THAT bad. I went here to get a salad because I didn’t want to walk anymore. I wanted something light so I opted for the Cobb salad, around 8 bucks.

They mixed it for me and I went to the 4th floor of Westfield to eat it. Though I was in a really depressed mood, this made things okay for the time being. Hey, at least I was eating. Wasn’t about to turn into those psychos who would starve themselves because of their sadness.

Forgive the picture quality, the lighting was not all that up there under the rotunda, but the salad had bacon, blue cheese, egg, and little tomatoes in a nice light/tangy dressing. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t so sad that day, but it was good. You can’t go wrong with a Cobb.



Would I come back? Eh, I don’t know. It was okay. It didn’t excite me. But it is reliable for all those FiDi people who want a quick lunch. It’s just okay to me. If I had the craving to chew on a piece of sourdough until my jaw hurt, maybe I’ll come here.

Buca di Beppo - I Saw Ass Everywhere I Looked

Restaurant: Buca di Beppo
Address: 855 Howard Street, SOMA, SF
Cuisine: Family-Style Italian
Dining Partners: Rox, Jen, SAM, Auntie Glo
Last Visited: August 13, 2007

So the last time that I came here was for a field trip for my Food Class in high school back in 2002. No, my sweety K just corrected me and said “No, it wasn’t.” I just remembered that the last time I went there was for Cousins Day back in 2005, I think. That was still a while ago. All I remember was that I felt like rolling out of the restaurant after we were done eating.

What brought me to this dinner was this: I bought my Auntie Glo some ice cream from Ben & Jerry's one day and she promised me that she would take me to dinner. A few nights later, my Momma tells me to call Auntie Glo, and I thought I was in trouble, but I wasn't and Auntie Glo wanted to take me, my sis SAM, and my cousins Rox and Jen to dinner later that week. So we made plans and here we were. The day before though, I called Rox and Jen, who are Auntie Glo’s daughters, and asked them where they wanted to go. Jen said Italian, and the first place that I could think of was Buca di Beppo. Like I mentioned before, I went there twice already and their food was consistent, good and filling. Auntie, SAM and the cousins never been there, so it was perfect.



We met up with Auntie Glo at 4:45, but we had a reservation for 5:30, so we called in and asked if we could be bumped up to 5:00, which was no problem. We took the short walk from Union Square to 4th and Howard, and this lovely lady greeted us.



The Fam Bam were really excited because of all the “stuff” on the wall. Seriously, you had pictures of the Pope, Sophia Lauren, a bunch of fat guys, pussy cats, anything you can think of was in a frame on that wall. I think the atmosphere won them over.



The two times I have been here, we were seated in the lower level, but I am guessing that they are renovations there, so we were escorted to the upper level, which I never knew existed. Yeah, it was pretty much empty besides a couple of families already eating.



We noticed a statue of David on the wall and he was, well, pretty. Loved the stockings.



Then it was time to order. There are so many different pasta dishes, salads, appetizers, and entrees. So difficult to decide, especially with such an indecisive Fam Bam as I have. We decided on two pasta dishes, mozzarella garlic bread, and calamari for appetizer. But which pasta dishes? Each pasta dish came in two sizes, small and large. It said that the small feeds 2-4 people and the large is 3-5. When the waiter came, he informed us that it was a family-style restaurant, and that sharing is encouraged. He also suggested that we should get smalls instead of larges. So we got the Macaroni Rosa which I had on my high school trip and the Fettuccini Alfredo, which SAM is obsessed with. Our waiter also convinced us to order a chicken dish, so SAM ordered the Chicken Marsala.

I ordered an Orange Italian Soda for my beverage:



It did taste like orange, but it is different from Fanta Orange Soda which I love so much. I actually prefer Fanta over this soda. It might even be TOO artificially-flavored. Yeah, it was okay, but not something I would order again.



The complimentary bread came with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We mixed the vinegar and oil together to make a simple and delicious dipping sauce for the bread. The tartness of the balsamic was something to get used to for the cousins and SAM, but Auntie Glo sopped all of it off her plate.



Next came the Mozzarella Garlic Bread:



It actually looked more of a pizza than your usual loaf of garlic bread. The bread was nice and soft underneath the melted cheese and thinly sliced garlic. It was so yummy.

The Fried Calamari came next:



I LOVE fried calamari. A marinara sauce topped with red pepper flake came with it, which was to die for. We squeezed some lemon juice on top of the hot and crispy calamari, and we were practically fighting for each piece. I actually loved the tentacles. They were nicely fried, but it was still pretty tender when bitten into. The marinara sauce was great with it, but I also liked topping my garlic bread with it, too. Makeshift pizza! It was great because the sauce had chunks of sweet tomato, and the red pepper flake gave it some heat, which was delicious.

Our pastas came out next:

This was the Macaroni Rosa. This is the small! It was huge! We were about to order large size pastas! Good thing our waiter advised against it. It is macaroni pasta in a light tomato cream sauce, which chicken, peas, mushrooms, and broccoli. I loved this combination. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the ingredients went so well together.



The platter of the Fettuccini Alfredo was huge as well. We took a taste and it was so rich. I mean, it was so rich that SAM could not even finish a helping of it. This is the girl who ate 4 bowls of pasta at Strings. The sauce was creamy, and they shaved lots of fresh parmesan cheese all over. I think it was a bit rich for me. I am more of a tomato-y sauce girl.



Our chicken came out shortly after the pasta. I was kind of turned off because two chicken breasts cost 17 bucks. Pretty pricy. The chicken had a Marsala wine sauce with mushrooms. I learned in this meal that I do not like the sweet reduced flavor of Marsala wine. I didn’t hate it, but it was okay. Not something I would order again, though. Besides that, the chicken was cooked perfectly. Nice and juicy on the inside considering it was all white meat.



It was not surprising that 5 of us did not finish all the food. We didn't even want to order dessert! Okay, we did stuff up on two cheesy garlic breads. Yes, we killed the first one and then ordered another one. It was a delicious meal. We seriously could not get up for a while. I was ready to waddle out of there with our doggy bags. I am so happy that I had the chance to eat a nice Italian meal with my Fam Bam. This place is fun and humourous. A great place to share a great and filling meal. Lots of laughs and smiles, but most importantly full tummies and happy hearts. Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Auntie Glo!

Ongpin - Momma’s Favorite Place

Restaurant: Ongpin
Address: 73 Camaritas Avenue @ Westborough, SSF
Cuisine: Filipino
Dining Partners: Momma



My momma L-O-V-E-S it here. Whenever we are in the area, she will ask me what I want to eat. When I say, “I don’t know,” she’ll suggest Ongpin 99.9% of the time. I think she really misses Filipino food, and this is close to the house, so she likes it here.



I do not know what the term “Ongpin” literally translates to, but I do know that “Ongpin” is actually a place in the Philippines in the Chinatown there. Yes, there IS a Chinatown in the Philippines. Chinese traders chose to settle here, like they have in the US, and made their own community. So of course, Filipino cooking mixed with Chinese cooking and that all means BOMB FOOD!



-Visit 1: May 24, 2007-

I don’t remember why we were in the area, but we ended up at Ongpin. There was never a time when the restaurant was empty. It is a favorite in our community. We wanted to take-out today, so there would be a little wait. We could have called in ahead of time, but we didn’t. Besides, waiting for the food only makes it taste better later because of the anticipation. Behind the counter were you order, you can see the little “order up” window. If you look closely through that window, you can see the chefs prepare the food. Cool.

Almost 100% of the time we get the Pancit Miki-Bihon ($8). Aside from the pancit my family makes, this is my favorite pancit. Pancit Miki-Bihon is a noodle dish that combines both thin and thick noodles. Chicken, shrimp, celery, garlic, onions, and carrots are stir-fried in a soy sauce-based gravy and then the noodles are added to the mixture. What makes pancit so good is that the noodles are not fully cooked when it is added to the gravy. So basically, the noodles cook in this aromatic, delicious cooking liquid and absorb all the wonderful flavors. Before it is served, a sprinkling of green onions and fried minced garlic goes on top. Wedges of lemon come alongside as well. If we were in the Philippines, fresh calamansi would be the citrus of choice, but we’re in America, so this will have to do. I love fresh citrus juice anyway, so lemon is all good in my book. =)



Of course, every family has there own recipe. Plus, there are like 20 different types of pancit, so there will always be different ones to try. Ongpin makes a wonderful rendition. It always comes out good, but this time it was a little TOO peppery. Once I got over the first bite and cleared-up sinuses, it was okay. This dish is reliable and always good.

We also ordered the Sinigang na Baboy ($10). It is a soup that consists of tender pork cubes, eggplant, radish rounds, tomato, Chinese long beans, bok choy, in a tamarind broth in which a jalapeno pepper (or two if you are lucky) is added for taste. So you can imagine all the flavors popping in your mouth. The tamarind is actually my favorite part of this soup. It makes it nice and sour. The tomato also adds some tang, and a little bit of sweetness and acidity.



Momma makes this a lot at home, but it’s nice to have someone else cook it because it takes a while to cook. Ongpin’s version is really good to me because they add a little more sourness than Momma does. Momma says it’s “so sour,” but I like it. One order of this can easily feed four people. Sinigang is one of those Filipino comfort foods that makes me feel so good inside when I eat it. It reminds me of the Philippines. =)

-Visit 2: June 13, 2007-

Momma and I came here after my dentist appointment. Since Ongpin was on the route back home, we decided to grab something small to eat. Momma craved some siopao ($2). It derives from the Chinese, like “Ongpin.” It is a steamed bun with meat inside. The meat filling is very savory, but has a few sweet notes lingering in it.



There are various filling, like pork adobo, chicken, sometimes even with a boiled egg in it. Ongpin has a pork asado which I really like. The bun itself is very good. It is bland enough to eat with the pork filling, but tasty enough to eat on its own. The buns come with a sauce, but it doesn’t do anything for me. I think the filling already has its own great flavor, and it does not need anything else.



We also ordered the Pancit Miki-Bihon. Yes, AGAIN! See how much I love that stuff? But this time I wanted to order dessert. Since my dentist appointment went so well (no cavities), I wanted to treat myself with something sweet. I’m not much a halo-halo person because of the beans. However, Ongpin has this awesome dessert called Coco Cha Cha, which is vanilla ice cream topped with candied yams, gelatin, pinipig (Filipino puffed rice), and coconut milk.



Yeah, I know the combination sounds funny. I thought so, too, myself, but I tried it because it did not have beans in it. Since then, I have been hooked. This Filipino “sundae” is delish. The candied yams actually do not taste like yams. They just taste good. The gelatin is not the same gelatin you get from a JELL-O box. This Filipino gelatin is firmer than and not as sweet as American gelatin. The puffed rice are not like Rice Krispies either. They are harder and they stand up to the moisture in this dessert. This is a dessert to have on your “MUST TRY” list because I do not know of anywhere else that has it. Yum-E!



-Visit 3: August 8, 2007-

If you didn’t notice already, Momma really likes to grab dinner from here. On this day, I got a call from her and she asked me what I wanted from here. Apparently, she and my sister were just finished with their dental appointments and were on their way home. I say my usual, “Whatever, I don’t care” because I really don’t. Everything here is edible to me.

They come home a couple of hours later. They chose to dine-in before coming home. Punks. Without me! Boo! But they came home with a bunch of goodies. The first was their fried chicken:



It is what is is: fried chicken. My Auntie Glo would make this a lot when I used to live with her. It’s just chicken pieces that are simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then fried. No special batters or coatings or anything like that. Very simple. I do have to criticize the toughness of the outer meat, but once you get through that, the meat on the inside is moist and yummy, especially with ketchup. Banana ketchup!



She also brought a stew called Kare Kare, which consists of tender-as-can-be oxtails, bok choy, eggplant, green beans, and tripe in a savory peanut butter-based sauce. I used to not like this dish when I was younger because I thought it tasted bland, but when I got older, I learned the tried and true way of eating it. With bagoong! (Forgive the poor picture, btw.)



Now you might be thinking WHAT IN THE WORLD IS BAGOONG? Basically it’s a paste that is made with fermented fish/shellfish. Since I am from the Bagoong capital in the Philippines, I have eaten a lot of dishes that have it as a component. There are two main kinds: bagoong isda, that is made with small fish, like anchovies, and bagoong alamang, that is made with teeny tiny shrimp. I always eat my Kare Kare with the shrimp variety. It gives the stew a kick that I love. The shrimp kind can be as bright as magenta, but Ongpin’s variety is a bit darker. They all taste the same to me though.



Then there was Pancit Canton, my sister SAM’s favorite. As we all know, there are a kajillion varieties of pancit. This particular one has the thicker Canton noodles, and bell peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken, shrimp, cabbage and scallions are stir-fried in it. Although this is not my FAVORITE type of pancit because the noodles have a certain flavor to them, and miki-bihon being my preference, you really can’t go wrong with pancit.



I have talked to a lot of people about this place and a lot of them say that it’s dirty. Okay, yeah, it is dirty. There was this one time I ate here with Momma and my niece, Chanel, and when I picked up my spoon, I felt piece of sticky rice on the back of it. Yeah, the dishwasher was not doing their job right. But for some reason, I always come back. If it were any other place, I would so not eat there again, but I don’t know why I feel differently about this place. It feels like home when I eat their food. Home is not always clean anyway. =) I know, it sounds gross, but in all actuality, I love this place. And the reason for me to stop eating here is if something alive (or was once alive) is floating in my sinigang.

*ahem*

Now I pray that doesn’t happen because I LOVE their sisig. Ohh, now that’s another post!

Tu Lan - If It's Good Enough for Julia Child...

Restaurant: Tu Lan
Address: 6 6th Street @ Market, San Francisco
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Dining Partner: K and Nikkah

-Visit 1: April 23, 2007-

Walking from school down to Tu Lan on 6th is an experience. Granted this is not the most glamorous part of The City, it does come up with some great eats.

My dining partner K and I both skimmed the menu, with Julia Child on it eating with chopsticks (who just happened to eat there at one point), and ordered the Pho Bo. It is a Vietnamese noodle soup with pieces of tender beef in which raw mung bean sprouts, lemon juice, hoisin sauce, sraracha (a bright red chili sauce, yeah, the one with the rooster on the bottle), cilantro leaves, jalapeno peppers and anything that seems to be contained in bottles on every table at every Asian restaurant can be added, like soy sauce, etc.

I was talking to my cousin Star on my birthday and I told her, “Pho makes me happy and that’s my saying!” Pho really does make me happy. Spicy broth with fresh herbs, succulent beef products, and delicious noodles. Now that’s what I call comfort.

I was, however, disappointed with the noodles. K took his first bite and proceeded to tell me that they should have let the noodles cook a little longer. It might have been our preference of our previous pho experiences. I like the thin flat noodles. However, at Tu Lan they have wider noodles that take more bite to eat, which was probably why we thought we were working harder. The broth was great though. One sip and you can just feel the broth going down your esophagus. Just like a warm hug on the inside.

Walking in, you can smell other patrons’ noodle dishes and feel the heat of the stove from behind the counter. The atmosphere is incredibly casual and loud with the employees yelling Vietnamese to each other from opposite sides of the restaurant. The place is small in the front with a bigger space in the back. There are stools at the counter if you opt to dine alone. There is only one aisle in and out of the place so it is not uncommon for someone to brush up against you.

The prices are very reasonable. The Pho Bo we ordered was only $4.50 for a very substantial bowl of soup. For the two of us, the bill only ran $9.45 with no drinks. $11.00 with tip. In general, nothing costs more than $7.00.

-Visit 2: August 13, 2007-

FYI: The first posting I did on Tu Lan was actually my VERY first posting I put up on this blog back in April when I did not take pictures. So I went back and took some snaps.

The first time I went to Tu Lan, I didn’t know what to expect, so I basically ordered something that was pretty much familiar to me. The next time I was to go, I wanted to be knowledgeable, so I scoured local food boards to see what others would order. I came to the shrimp fried rice and the imperial rolls.

So Nikkah and I took the walk to 6th Street. Okay, YES, it is sketchy and scary for some people, but I really do not mind it. Just as long as you don’t look at the people up and down and give them attitude, you should be fine. I walked by there numerous times and I haven’t been hassled. But who WOULD mess with someone in scrubs?

So Nikkah and I got there and were told to go upstairs. I didn’t even know there was an upstairs dining area. I actually liked it because it was not as loud as the front where people are consistently walking in and out and you can hear the workers yelling orders to each other. The décor was not Vietnamese. Ha. There were Chinese New Year fire crackers in the corner and Japanese panels on the walls.



I saw the other items on the menu and how cheap they were, like the pork, imperial rolls and rice combo for like $5.95. But I had my heart set on the shrimp fried rice, so I went with that. The imperial rolls can wait. I didn’t want to stuff up on lunch because I was having a very filling dinner later on that evening with the Fam Bam. Nikkah, who was kind of on the sick side, had the pork and shrimp noodle soup.

The fried rice came out pretty quickly, and I dug in right away. On the menu, it is called, “VN Style Shrimp Fried Rice,” and I wondered what was so “VN” about it. I found out. They put in the usual ingredients in there like scrambled up threads of egg, scallions, and the shrimp, of course. But the main difference was the hints of curry they threw in the mix. I love curries of all kinds, and I usually eat curry in a stew like chicken tikka masala or yellow Thai curry with the chicken and potatoes. Having curry in fried rice is awesome. I did not need any accompaniment with it. The fried rice was a meal in itself, and it was so delicious. There was a tad bit of grease in it, but what fried rice doesn’t? The only complaint I would make would be that the egg was burnt. The pan must have been so hot when they cooked the egg that the shards of egg in the rice were black. No kidding, but aside from that, the rice was delicious.



Nikkah’s pork and shrimp soup came out a little while after. I had already eaten half of the rice by the time it came out. They used the same flat rice noodles as they did in the Hanoi beef noodle soup that we feasted on in the previous visit. The pork didn’t even look like pork, more like chicken. The broth was delicious. There was no need to add any sriracha or herbs to make it even more delicious. However, I like thin noodles more than flat noodles, but that’s just my preference. The tab for both of us was just 12 dollars. Awesomeness.


I would like to go back to Tu Lan. Just seeing noodle dishes and beef stews pass by me made me even more hungry. It is a truly a hidden gem in The City’s tough neighborhood. And I ain’t afraid to go back. =)

Battle of the Chefs - Talong, Overgrown Hair, Cupcakes and a Broken Leg

Event: Battle of the Chefs - Hill vs. Luym
Address: Macy’s Union Square Cellar,
Cuisine: Asian and French
Viewing Partners: Rox and Jenn

One month ago, I attempted to watch a battle between Chef Hopfinger and Tucker. I requested the tickets too late, so I wasn’t able to get a seat. I went anyway, but ended up leaving early because I was jealous of the people who actually got seats and food samples. So I vowed to myself that I would get the tickets to the next battle the day they came out. And that is what I did.

So this battle between Luym and Hill was going to be the 3rd and last battle to the “Industry Nights” series which is hosted by Macy‘s and Rivera Public Relations. To avoid getting left out in the cold again, I went to the Rivera PR website to get tickets at around 10 a.m. on July 13. To my dismay, there was no option to get tickets, so I called them. Yes, I called them. I left a message telling them that I wanted these tickets. Later on that day, someone left a message on my voicemail saying I got them. Victory.



Here is some background info on each of the chefs:

Bruce Hill is the executive chef of Bix restaurant, where his cuisine focuses on American fine dining. His cocktails and martini’s are award-winning, as well. His audience is more of the middle-class to wealthy *ahem* older European-ish crowd.

Timothy Luym leads the way at the Poleng Lounge, where small plates of Asian fare are the craze. His crowd is more of the younger, hip, trendy, hip-hop, cultured folks. Kinda like me. =) They have crispy adobo chicken wings on their menu. How awesome is that?

So you can already see the difference there.

So July 23 rolls around and I am beyond excited. I met up with my cuzzos in the City after school. We wasted time going to foodies places like Sur Le Table, Crate and Barrel, the Macy’s Marketplace…etc…etc…Then 6:00 p.m. came and we were ready!

For 10 dollars, you get to sit in the audience, which only fits about 50 seats, hor d’ourves from each competitor, and a 10 dollar Macy’s gift card. What makes me believe that this is actually a free event. Macy’s is just making you buy the gift card just so that they trap your money. SMART.

There was a small crowd already forming when we got there, but after 5 minutes or so in line, we were allowed in. We sat on Chef Timothy Luym’s side because, hey, he’s a fellow Filipino. Gotta support our kababayans!



So once everyone was seated, reps from each side passed out hor d’oeurves. Bruce Hill’s team served fresh mozzarella cheese curd, that was made that morning, wrapped in prosciutto, and skewered on bamboo sticks. The cheese was divine. It tasted so pure and fresh, and the consistency was beautiful. I never tasted anything like this. They also offered glasses of white wine to go along with that. I am not a wine drinker, so I passed on that.



Tim Luym’s team served ceviche that had fresh pieces of meaty fish, tiny chili peppers, among other things. I love raw fish, but having fish “cooked” in acid was all good, too.



A strawberry mojito accompanied the hor d’oeurve. I had the mojito, and I loved the fresh strawberry in it, but I am not a rum drinker, so I didn’t finish it. It was pretty strong, and it was already like an oven in there. So I didn’t want to push it. BUT if they had a tequila-based cocktail, well, I’d drink the whole pitcher!



The host was Marisa Churchill, who you might have seen on Bravo’s Top Chef. Tall, leggy woman. Definite eye candy for the gentlemen, and ladies, too. Hey, this IS SF! She went on to introduce the chefs, and what sucked was that Bruce Hill was not able to compete himself because of a leg injury. BOO! That is so not fair. So he had two of his prized chefs from his restaurants cook in his place. I think he should have forfeited. I guess you can tell who I was rooting for.



Then Miss Churchill introduced the secret the ingredient: EGGPLANT. They had Japanese eggplant, regular eggplant you find at Safeway. Those little green eggplants. Such a variety. She started the time and they were on their way making a delicious dish for the judges. They have 45 minutes to cook a single dish.



The kitchen is small, and the only way you can really see the cooking is through the television screens above the stoves. Even then, you can’t really see everything that is going on. This can bore someone out real quick, so Miss Churchill did something cute. She played a guessing game with the audience.



She had a Macy’s bag full of questions. She said a fact about one of the chefs, and we had to guess which chef it was. If a person answered, another person can argue that they are wrong. Whoever is correct among the two gets a cupcake baked by Miss Churchill. Now this is a treat because she is a well-known pastry chef. She has worked at renowned San Francisco kitchens, like the Slanted Door, restaurant Lulu, and now at Ame as executive pastry chef. So did I want a cupcake? You’re sure as hell I did.



I mean, how often do you get a chance to win a cupcake baked by a television reality-star/the hottest pastry chef in San Francisco in a guessing game? Not often, so I was going to be the true competitor I am, and win myself a cupcake. So she asked the questions, and whoever’s hand she sees first gets to answer. After two or three questions and answers, a question was asked that was along the lines of:

“Which chef dated Playboy playmate so-in-so, blah blah blah?”

I did a split-second thought process and analyzed that most of the Playboy playmates are blondes, so I raised my hand. Miss Churchill saw me first and came to me. I guessed Bruce. She asked me if I knew Bruce. I said no. This was the first time I ever heard of him. I did not say that to her, though. Ha! Then she said I won a cupcake! Holla!



I ended up giving it to Jenn because she loved sweets. I didn’t necessarily want to eat the cupcake. The cupcake was more of a trophy to me. Jenn KILLED it. Then this question was asked:

“This chef can be a food critic. When he was younger (10 or 12), he wrote a letter to the chef of a restaurant complaining that the milkshake was overpriced.”

A couple of guys on the sidelines answered Bruce. Even Tim-supporters said that it WAS NOT Tim. I was sure they were right. Miss Churchill asked if there was anyone who disagreed. I hear, “I DISAGREE!” to my right. I look to see who would disagree. Jenn, my cuzzo, disagreed. OMG. This girl has ovaries. Seriously. Miss Churchill went to Jenn, asked for her name, and asked why she disagreed. Jenn answered, “I just want a cupcake.” Good answer! The worse that could happen is that she did not get one, right?

WELL…JENN WAS RIGHT AND GOT A CUPCAKE!

Do the damn thang, girl. Yup, that’s my cousin! Yeah, Jenn KILLED that cupcake, too. =)



Back to the battle. There were luscious smells in the air. The Bix team was working on lamb with eggplant. Tim’s team wanted to keep things vegetarian and cooked up spicy tofu, lotus root and eggplant. I am very vague in my descriptions because there was no real close up on the dishes. In Iron Chef, Alton and Kevin are there with the chefs and asking about their every move, but here, not so.



So at the end of the cooking, judging began. They liked the many uses of the eggplant done by Tim’s team, but the sauce was a bit too spicy. They liked the lamb on the Bix side, but said that their dish is pretty common with the lamb and the mint pairing. It must have been hard for the judges to choose because this was like comparing apples and oranges. Their styles of cooking are so different.

But after deliberating, the winner, by just 2 points was…

Bruce and the Bix Team.

Boo.

I wanted Poleng to win. Poleng did have the best supporters, though. We were loud. Ah, next time Tim. After the battle, I got to taste the dish that Tim’s team made, and it WAS a bit spicy. =( It was good, but I think I would have needed a bowl of rice and a glass of milk to go along with it. We went to Chef Tim Luym and asked for his autograph on his head-stick and a photograph. Miss Churchill even came and talked to us. He asked if I had ever been to Poleng, and I sheepishly said NO. Boo. But I did say that I would check it out. Their beef salpicao (tender pieces of meat accompanied by bone marrow) looks interesting. Tim was so nice, and I can’t wait to go to Poleng with my sweetie, K. Maybe for our next anniversary. =)



I was glad that I came to watch this battle. It is not as big as Iron Chef, but it was fun all the same. It was great to see supporters on each side of the battle ring. This is also a great way to get to know local chefs and their specialties. I have discovered the San Francisco restaurant/dining scene very recently, so watching this has opened my eyes to a wide spectrum of SF dining, from the chefs, the television personalities, and food critics. If they do this next summer, I will be the first to reserve tickets, for sure. This was a fun experience. And the cupcakes weren’t shabby either. =) Do yo’ thang, Miss Churchill, do yo’ thang.

P.S. "Talong" in the title means eggplant in Tagalog.