Gilroy Garlic Festival - Ohhh I Think We Ate Too Fast...

Event: Gilroy Garlic Festival
Address: Christmas Hill Park, Gilroy, CA
Cuisine: All Things Garlic, Baby!
Date Last Visited: July 26, 2008
Dining Partner: My Sweety K (the manfriend), Star (the cousin), and Herbmeister (the cousin’s manfriend)

Ahh, garlic. Food of the gods. Dracula’s enemy. Garlic. So much flavor in a little package of paper. Its scent alone can make a person stop dead in their tracks and moan in sheer pleasure. Garlic. I cannot think of a cuisine in this world that does not utilize it. It has medicinal purposes. It tickles your senses. Garlic.

MmMmMmMm…garlic.

My most favorite dishes have garlic as a key component. Spaghetti. Adobo. The food world would collapse if garlic disappeared (God forbid).

Star and I had been thinking about coming to the garlic festival for months. We were counting down the days and looking forward for the heartburn that would follow. We would have to drive an hour and a half from San Francisco to get there, but it would be all worth it. This was my second time coming to the Gilroy Garlic Festival and even though it seemed like I saw and it all when I went the first time, I was still excited to go. We left at about 11 in the morning, and because of the traffic coming into Gilroy, we didn’t get to the park until 1 p.m.


The parking lot - picture taken from the bus
Because thousands of people come each day, there is a very organized parking system in which the volunteers escort the festival goers to their parking spaces. Be prepared for your tires to get muddy and your vehicle to get real dusty. A bus picks you up and you are brought down to the festival which is actually a bit away from the humongous parking lot, but it is completely walkable if you choose to.


the ticket booth
The festival’s website has option for you to buy your tickets online for the same price. This way you don’t have to wait in line for your tickets. I think we came at the busiest time of the day, but we didn’t have to wait long at all for the tickets.


our tickets to garlic Heaven
So My Sweety K and I got in line and got the tickets for the 4 of us. We hand the girl a Benjamin ($100 bill), and she says, “$42 is your change!” We are walking away and something in me was telling me that is so wrong. Biznatch shorted us ten bucks. Oh hell no. My Sweety K marched right back in front of everyone and demanded our money. =) Yes, that basic arithmetic comes in handy sometimes. Ha. My companions were ahead of me and saw that they actually take back the ticket. So right before I gave mine, I took the picture you see above. Some excitement happened when the guy in front of us was caught with a knife. Haha, you are safe NO WHERE these days.


festival chefs in Gourmet Alley
These are the hard-working ladies and gentlemen who work behind the scenes in the festival’s Gourmet Alley. They really should be applauded because they work in extreme heat. Even though they are under a huge tent, those burners with giant skillets and BBQ grills can really crank up the heat in there. They are my heroes. Now let’s see what treats they had for us to gobble up.


Stuffed Mushrooms - $4
These got me and My Sweety K coming back. We had these the first time we were here and we knew we had to have them again! Before I could even blink, My Sweety K was already in line for them. Oh dear, these were so good. The filling seemed to be made with cheese and herbs and then stuffed in huge white button mushrooms. What I liked was that the mushroom was still a bit raw, so it had that dry, spongy texture to it. Star said she would have appreciated them being a little more done, but overall, all of us seemed to like them. Great start!


Combo Two Remixed - $12
Remixed? You will see how. Okay, so when I went to see which combo to get, I was juggling between calamari or scampi. Yeah, SCAMPI. Combo Two has that luscious shrimp scampi in a silky garlic butter sauce, garlic bread, marinated button mushrooms, chicken stir-fry and a garlic sausage sandwich. BUT, when I got to the window, the cashier told me that there were out of sausages. I asked them if we could substitute the sausage sandwich with a pepper steak sandwich. They allowed that, so I got the Combo Two REMIXED. Let me tell you something: THE BEST COMBO EVER. Those marinated mushrooms were marinated, but they weren’t too marinated. Mushrooms have an earthy flavor and marinades can mask that subtle flavor, but these were light and delicious. The pepper steak sandwich was awesome: great bread, wonderfully cooked green peppers and onions, and thin slices of tender steak. Now, that GARLIC BREAD. Herbmeister said you can wring it and watch all the butter drip out. How sinful! This is how garlic bread is supposed to be. Perfectly buttery and crisp on the top. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.


Chicken Stir-Fry - part of Combo Two
You can’t really see the stir-fry in the first picture, but this is what you get. Asian-style noodles with big shreds of chicken, thinly sliced carrots, broccoli, and other garden vegetables. I do have to comment that it was a bit on the salty side, so (like I always seem to say) I thought that a serving of nice steamed jasmine rice would have been good with it. =)


Garlic Fries - $5 each
Garlic fries are a must-have anywhere that it is offered: baseball games, rock concerts, at the carnival, anywhere. We saw a guy in line with a serving of these and we knew these were part of our menu. Lovely, golden-brown, crispy French fries with a pillowy, hot interior covered in sautéed minced garlic and herbs. OhHhHhHhHhHh…these things are truly addicting. My Sweety K seemed to love them because there was a time when I went to get more food. When I left, there was at least two-thirds left and when I go back, only those tiny morsels were left. =) He killed them.


the huge (and sweaty) crowd
One thing that is pretty much is a given is that Gilroy can get extremely hot. I was sweating in places I didn’t think I could sweat from. So be sure to bring lots of sunscreen and to consume lots of water. No one wants anyone to pass out now! Now let us move on to the vendors not in Gourmet Alley.


Gumbo and Crawfish and Shrimp OH MY!

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya - $7.50
I loved this booth. As I was waiting for my food, they were playing Sublime’s “Santeria” in their tent. Awesome. They offered crawdads, seafood gumbo, blackened shrimp, garlic-battered catfish with “sassy slaw”, among other delectable Cajun favorites. I chose the jambalaya because My Sweety K can’t do the seafood. Poor thing. He sure misses out on a lot. =’(


My Jambalaya - yum!
The jambalaya had a lot of flavor which I was thankful for. There were huge chunks of chicken and plenty of sausage rounds. It looks like a small portion, but it fills you up a lot because of all the rice. I was afraid that it was going to be too spicy, but good thing it wasn’t. My body was scorching, I didn’t need my tongue to be. I do have to comment that it was on the mushy side. Because the grains of rice soaked in all that tasty sauce, it was drier than other jambalayas I have had. Nevertheless, it was very good.


Crawfish Etouffée - Star and Herbmeister’s Cajun Dish
I stole a crawfish from their bowl, and just from that one bite I knew it was good. Don’t you just love that rich brown color it has? Great roux because it was saucy and thick. The etouffée was served over a bed of fluffy white rice and Star and Herbmeister enjoyed it very much.


Garlicky Mexican Goodness
My Sweety K made a great choice with his Garlic Steak with Pico de Gallo, Onions and Beans Over Warm Tortillas. You all should know that My Sweety K and I have our traditional Mexican meals, so this was going to be great. While he went to grab some drinks, I stole a piece of steak. Good Lord. It was some of the most tastiest steak I have ever had in a taco. You can tell they paid very close attention to it and it’s seasonings. SO great. Sometimes tacos should be like this one: meat, beans, and tomatoes. That’s it. No need for crèma, guacamole or cheese. I like how they let the meat stand out.

Above the taco was my special request: Whole Roasted Ear of Sweet Corn with Garlic Butter. This brought me back to the time I was in the Philippines and I was munching on an ear of corn just like this while strolling on Roxas Boulevard along Manila Bay. Charring the corn makes all the difference. You can taste that savory flavor from the garlic and when it hits the natural sweetness and caramelization of the corn - magic happens. Soon corn juice and garlic butter is squirting everywhere and dribbling down your chin. That ladies and gentlemen, is glorious. You can’t beat this with a stick. It is so good.


Are you ready for some exotic meat?
The last time we came, we had some of this, and when I told Star, she wanted to try. I am so happy I have adventurous eaters like her, My Sweety K and Herbmeister.


Left: Oysters in Garlic Butter Sauce - 3 for $7
Right: Buffalo on a Stick and Kangaroo on a Stick -
$5 each stick
I do not do oysters, but Star and Herbmeister do. “Oyster” is Star’s middle name. =) (Boston Family inside joke). She and Herbmeister RAVED about them. They were irked by the price, but they wanted another round. Star said that this was the first time she ever had a garlic-butter-type sauce on an oyster before because she is just used to hot sauce, soy sauce and lemon juice, but she loved it. The next time we have another Boston Family BBQ, we’re going to try to concoct a similar sauce for our BBQ oysters.

Though she loved the oysters, the meat skewers told another story. My three dining partners all enjoyed the kangaroo. It seemed like I was the only one who spit it out. I don’t know if it was mental or what, but I took a small bite, chewed, gagged, and reached for a napkin. I don’t know! I wanted to like it, but I didn’t. As for the buffalo, we thought it was totally going to be tender. It actually looked like adobo to me, but when I saw Herbmeister struggle with it, I knew it must have been tough like rubber. Herbmeister is not a small, lanky guy. He has some strength in his jaw, so seeing him wrestle with it like that was so surprising. Star was disappointed because it was inedible. They must have cooked it too long or let it sit out too long.


Above: Crispy Duck on a Stick - $5
Below: Alligator Tail on a Stick - $5
I wanted something safer, so I got the crispy duck and alligator tail. They were fried, so I would have loved to have some sort of dipping sauce with it, or at least some lemon juice or SOMETHING. The crispy duck was nothing special. It actually tasted like regular chicken. The alligator tasted like chicken too, but it was a bit tougher. I didn’t like how there was so much breading on it, but My Sweety K said they did that to cover the taste. Then what’s the point of tasting alligator if they are just going to hide it? It tasted real good with ketchup! Yes, My Sweety K and I eat everything with ketchup. We’re ketchup whores.


Chocolate-Covered Strawberries and Pineapple $5
So we drive two hours to get here and we are two hours into the eating. After two hours, we quit. We ate too fast because we came on empty stomachs and we were just too damn excited. So we stuffed ourselves silly. We were done. Haha. We couldn’t leave without dessert, but we were too full for the funnel cake and ice cream we had planned on. Therefore, we got these fruit kabobs instead. The fruit was frozen, so when we bit into them, they were still kind of firm. Though the 90-degree had melted them to an extent, we would have preferred for them to be fresh and then dipped in chocolate.

So, what did I think of it this time around? I had a fabulous time because I had fantastic company. Our double date was a success wasn’t it guys? Even though we were there for a short time, there was no way we would have been able to eat anymore. It was a lot of fun, and where else can you get chicken stir-fry, jambalaya and gator in the same meal? Though we did not enjoy EVERYTHING we got, it was interesting to try things out for the very first time. That keeps the art of eating exciting. Sure it was hot and crowded, but damn, we had a lot of fun. Eating with friends is the best eating, and I am so happy I had the opportunity to share this with them.

*************************************************
P.S. There was a post/thread on the San Francisco Bay Area board on Chowhound in which a hound was asking if it was worth going to. I replied with a “yes” because one should go to this festival at least once in their life. Besides, why rely on other people’s opinions? If you go and feel it was not worth it, that is just fine and dandy. I think that’s a whole lot better than depending wholly on what other’s think and not even going and wondering for years and years “what if?”. A bunch of *ahem*snooty*ahem* hounds said “no” because it’s hot (Um, duh? You’re far inland, in the middle of farm country), the lines are long, the parking is terrible, and the food is not good (in which I beg to differ). That’s their opinion, I guess. Well you know what? If you go there with a negative attitude then you bound to have a horrible time. I, myself, and even my companions had a great time, and even though it was hot and crowded, I cannot wait to go again next year.

I swear, some of these Chowhounds are so friggin’ high maintenance. Take their frou frou gourmet food and air conditioning away and WWIII breaks out. LOL.

Asian Culinary Forum - "On a Boat" (haha)

Event: Asian Culinary Forum - Are You What You Cook?
An exploration of creativity, culture, and cuisine
Venue: Ferry Building, Embarcadero
Date: July 21, 2008
Event Partner: BanYo

What an incredible event! Rushing over to the Ferry Building, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was so excited that I forgot everything I should have brought, like a notebook. D’oh, I know. Being an Asian in San Francisco, it is easy for me to find a great place to eat, like Mom n’ Pop or Tita and Tito’s places. However, finding a high-end Asian place? We have places in the City and probably even more down on the Peninsula that serve avant-garde Asian food in chic setting, such as Ame, The Slanted Door, Ponzu, Bong Su, Ana Madara. BUT! Why should we pay the big bucks if we can walk to Chinatown, Little Manila in Daly City, Asian Mecca in San Mateo or even your Momma’s house and get a filling, and most likely less expensive meal? I came to this event with open ears and a hungry belly and was ready to hear all about it.


Our name tags: Hello, my name is…
BanYo and I got to the venue a little early just to scope out the scene, the people, and the food. I really cannot think of a better venue. The view was fabulous: the beautiful Bay Bridge to the right and the ferries right below us.


The set-up was pretty straightforward: the panel sat before us, the discussion from 6:30-8:00 moderated by Linda Carucci, who is a chef director for the International Culinary School, and finally a short Q&A session with the audience to conclude the event.


The turn-out was impressive, with all seats being sold and with twenty people on the waiting list. With the roster of panelists, exceptional setting, and fantastic looking treats, I was not surprised that was the case. Speaking of the treats, let’s visit those now (you didn’t think we would talk about food and not have any, right?).


Audience members finally getting to sample the wonderful little bites that Va de Vi, the Slanted Door and Junnoon had to offer.

Vino!
The wines served that night were:

2005 Jolie Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot
Eden Canyon Vineyards

And

2006 Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany
Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant

I sampled the Riesling and because its balance of sweetness and acidity, it went well with all the food. I especially enjoyed the Riseling with Junnoon’s chaat cucumber cups and salmon canapés which you will be reading about in a little bit. The wine was perfect with the spices.


Chef Kelly Degala of Va de Vi and Pres a Vi provided Hoisin Glazed Ribs - they were succulent and tasty. I wanted seconds and thirds, but I didn’t want to look greedy in front of a horde of people that I didn‘t know. >=)


These are Charles Phan and the Slanted Door’s Fresh Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls with a delicious Peanut Dipping Sauce. Now you can tell when a spring roll is not fresh when the rice wrapper is rubber and hard to bite. Thankfully these were fresh. I usually do not like spring rolls (more of a fried roll girl), but these were very tasty. I really do not think I would order these at Slanted Door if I ever went because I can think of other Vietnamese places that offer them at half of the price. Since these suckers were free - hey, they were good.


Kirti Pant’s Mung Bean Chaat in Cucumber Cups. Oh lord, when I saw these, I thought, “Oh brother, vegetables…” I’m an omnivore with carnivore tendencies, so I was ready to make these my least favorite. But oh lord, I was wrong. The chaat that filled the cups was PHENOMENAL. The mung beans were combined with tomato and onion in a mint, tamarind chutney. Thanks Andrew for the lowdown. It’s that tamarind! Having it hugging every morsel of the chaat was completely lovely. Sweet, tangy, and “hmmm what is that?” The cucumber was fresh and a perfect container. I was blown away.


Smoke Salmon Canapé - smoked salmon over ginger and jalapeno cream cheese topped on naan flatbread crackers. Kirti brought these along with him as well and again I was floored. My favorite breakfast is lox on a bagel with cream cheese, so when I spotted these, I thought, “delicious, but probably nothing out of the ordinary.” Boy, Kirti, you are proving me wrong left and right. The ginger and jalapeno cream cheese was luscious and creamy and perfectly complimented the salmon. It had a beautiful heat that went well with the fatty fish. Now to put it on some toasted naan crackers? Genius. Great way to combine a traditional Indian bread with a very westernized presentation. Awesome. That’s it. Awesome.


Chefs Degala and Phan having a chat before starting
Time for the discussion.

The panelists included (in order of seating):

Kirti Pant who is executive chef of Junnoon, an Indian restaurant in Palo Alto. He emphasizes on using traditional ingredients and techniques of his culture, yet incorporating modern takes on presentation and use of local ingredients. He lived throughout India and has worked in kitchens in London at the Cinnamon Club and in New York City at Tamarind. Signature dish: New Zealand blue-nosed bass, with braised greens and a kokum berry sauce

Eric Gower, author of The Breakaway Cook, The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, and Eric’s Kitchen. He traveled to Japan and actually lived there for a number of years, without having the intention to do so in the first place. He was so intrigued with Japanese flavors during his stay that he still uses them in his daily repertoire here in the United States. Signature dish: Macha green tea salt sprinkled on poached eggs or tofu with figs, olive oil chives and pickled ginger

Michelle Mah formerly executive chef of Ponzu and now executive chef of the soon to be coming Midi, a brasserie exhibiting modern American faire. Though she is of Asian descent, Ponzu was where she was first introduced to the utilization of Asian ingredients and procedures in a restaurant setting. I was particularly pleased to see a female chef on the panel, and for her to be ASIAN? Facing issues concerning being a minority and a FEMALE in a male-dominated industry and excelling in it? Shoot, that’s something to be thrilled about. Signature dish: Spicy ahi tuna tartare with sesame oil, avocado, ginger ponzu sauce, and an edamame cucumber salad

Kelly Degala, executive chef of Va de Vi in Walnut Creek and Pres a Vi in San Francisco’s Presidio. He is a Filipino-American chef born and raised on the gorgeous of island Oahu who noted that Seattle was the place that made him the chef he is today. He characterizes his establishments’ cuisine as “global,” not particularly aiming to please a certain demographic. I expressed my wish to hear him speak in my Foodbuzz entry, so I was excited to finally see him in person. Signature dish: Seafood (because of his upbringing in Hawaii and his family’s origin in the Philippines) or duck confit which was air-dried, cured, cooked in fat and then served with steamed buns or halibut with miso butter

Charles Phan, cutting-edge executive chef of the highly-famed Slanted Door, which Linda Carucci commented as the hardest place to get a reservation, second only to the French Laundry. Known internationally as “one of the best, if not THE BEST restaurants in the United States,” the Slanted Door is known for making use of fresh, locally grown ingredients and Phan’s sense of style, which he obtained at UCBerkeley while studying architecture. Signature dish: crab and cellophane noodles (I had this dish at the Foodbuzz dinner at the Slanted Door back in January and it was simple, yet superb.)

First question of the night was “How did you get here?”

Kelly: I am from the state of Hawaii. I was born and raised there, and when you grow in Hawaii, you’re exposed to a lot of flavors…I happen to be Filipino, Chinese, Spanish ancestry, mostly Filipino. And my parents were immigrants from the Philippines where as we grew up, you know, we were told to do this, to do that. We all went to college…so in the meantime while going to college, I was working in the industry. Started off as a valet parker (giggles from the audience), bus boy (more giggles), *Kelly shudders* Ohhh, a server (audience laughs). Then one day I was invited to work in the kitchen, and well, that led to one station to another station and before I know it, I’m a chef! (laughter) Don’t even remember how I became a chef. (more laughter) …The career picked me, I didn’t pick this career, I had no idea I was going to be a chef. When I first went to school, was getting out of high school, I really don’t regret it. I actually enjoy it. The fact of the matter is that I get to eat (laughter). That’s okay. I’m exposed to the wonderful cuisine, as well as the wine aspect…I get to work with passionate people. You can’t go wrong in this industry. This industry requires a lot of hard work, in which I have to tell you, all of us here today, working as chefs, have contributed quite a bit of hard work. Anyway, how did I get here? I have to say, a lot of hard work. (laughter).

Moderator Carucci: Amen. (To Charles Phan) Charles, how’d you get here?

Charles: On a boat. (thunderous laughter) It’s true!

When Eric Gower said something along the lines of (and I am totally paraphrasing)…these Asian places need to see how important it is to have local resources and really knowing where their ingredients come from…blah blah blah…, I raised my brow and even sneered a bit. Luckily, Chef Phan came up with a rather smart response.

Charles: (Again I am paraphrasing) We just need to know the food is clean. It’s not like the chicken was stuck with a hypodermic needle. Places like Chinatown have places where there is a high turnover rate of patrons and the food moves fast.

HIGH-FIVE CHEF PHAN!
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the consumption of local ingredients grown from local farms and pastures. Nothing is better than supporting growers and farmers who work right in our own backyards, BUT expecting smaller Asian establishments to get their all of their ingredients from them is somewhat absurd. Hearing Gower make his comments made me kind of disturbed in some way because he made it seem that the quality of ingredients used by those in Chinatown are toxic and completely inedible. (Snooty snooty snooty if you ask me) If anything, these cooks and restaurants owners probably know more about farm-fresh ingredients than anyone else. If they immigrated from their countries to the United States, more than likely they grew up in the rural regions. My family who immigrated from the Philippines in the early 80’s, have their roots based in a mountainside rural community in Umingan, Pangasinan. My mom would tell me about the times when she was a kid, about 10 years old, when she and her siblings would go to the onion crop in the mornings before school and pick ripe onions for the family to sell to the community. So in the Asian countries, it’s not Niman Ranch meats, it’s Del Rosario farm, or Lee’s farm, or shoot, BOSTON’s farm. They grow, sell and consume the fruits of their own labor exactly how Californian/American farmers do here. In all honesty, I was a bit offended by Gower’s choice of words because he made it seem that the Asian establishments didn’t know the importance and meaning behind farm resources. You’re preaching to the choir here, buddy. I am sure that Asian places do know it is better to use local ingredients, but to keep a restaurant afloat while offering affordable prices, they can’t go to Niman Ranch to get all their meat all the time. The restaurant world is about business and Chef Phan was right, turnover rates in these types of restaurants are so high, that some of the patrons really don’t care where their Kung Pao chicken or beef with broccoli came from. And more than likely, diners there don’t know what Strawberry Hills, Prather and other farms mean to anything in their lives. Why serve something that is irrelevant in someone’s life?

Another great topic that was brought up was what the chefs were concerned about in the progression of culinary arts and practices. Kirti responded with the loss of regionality and the traditional techniques used to make ethnic foods. So many Asian places try to make their dishes so modernized that the heart and soul to make the customary recipe is lost. Sometimes the flavor is diminished because the focus was placed on presentation and making the dish more visually-pleasing rather than appealing to the tongue. Places such as El Bulli are considered highly because of their extreme practice of molecular gastronomy. My cousin Star and I cringe at the thought of FOAM in any of our food. More and more places do this, as well as using immersion circulators to cook their food and chemical powders to make their food behave the way they want them to - to freeze in a matter of seconds or to make a mundane liquid turn into a metamorphic goo similar to Slimer from the Ghostbusters. As exciting, beautiful and interesting the food may look, where is the flavor and passion? Does it even exist anymore?

I would have to say that this was an incredibly interesting and thought-provoking discussion. It got a bit HEATED in the last few minutes and I wish it didn’t have to end because we were getting into controversies and very provocative topics. My two favorite speakers of the night were Kelly Degala of Pres a Vi and Charles Phan of the Slanted Door. I believe Chef Degala really cares about his roots and culture when preparing his food and Chef Phan is not one to deal with BS. He took one for the little guys and I believe that even though he knows he has one of the most influential Asian restaurants in the country, he is not pompous about it and is not willing to take shortcuts for anything. Yet at the same time, he understands how it is for smaller Asian restaurants that do not have the same audience he does and respects their practices as well. I apologize for not having pictures of the other panel chefs. I was so enthralled in everything they had to say that taking pictures was not a priority for some reason. Like I told Chef John of Food Wishes: I’m awful. Something in me felt that I would miss something good if I concentrated on the photographs too much.

Time for sweets:


Cake with lemon gummy

Walnut Shortbread

Lemon Shortbread

Chocolate Sables
All the desserts were provided by Miette, who has a store in the Ferry Building Marketplace. I was somewhat disappointed with the selection because I have sampled some of their stuff in the recent past (which were incredible - strawberry crème cake - ohh, drool), and what was offered was…boring…sorry. =(


The Bay Bridge and her twinkling lights
After the public discussion, I introduced myself to Chef Kelly Degala because he was the chef who I wanted to see in the first place. Ladies and gentlemen, he is so warm and welcoming - like one of my uncles! Must be a Filipino thing. During the discussion, Chef Degala mentioned that he incorporated a lot of seafood in his menu because his own family was from a region in the Philippines where seafood is known for. BanYo and I could not help ourselves and ask him which particular region that was. He responded with “Pangasinan.” Holy crap, that’s the same province BanYo and I are from. Out of all 81 provinces in our 7,000 island nation, us three came from the same exact one. See, I knew I would like this guy. I appreciated how much respect he had for Filipino food. He made an example with his Rock Shrimp and Avocado lumpia (which is in his cookbook). He said that the ingredients he used are not traditional by any means, but the fashion he prepares them makes them “lumpia.” He also has a short-rib adobo in his cookbook that looks so beautiful and advanced, but is quintessentially Filipino. He also made a good point by saying that even though he is from Hawaii and is familiarized with many Asian flavors, he doesn’t put all them together JUST BECAUSE he can and JUST BECAUSE it is expected of Hawaiian-fusion cooking. He says he plans his recipes by taking influence from different cultures but making sure they go well and taste well together first. That makes a lot of sense. He also told me that if one wants to go in this industry, that they have to love to eat and have a passion for food. Amen, Tito Kelly, amen. I was so pleased to have this talk with him after the discussion (which lasted a good 15-20 minutes) because I learned a lot. It was so good to talk to someone who is so down-to-earth and so loving of his craft. It really seemed like this guy could talk forever about just food and the industry alone. I can appreciate that. =)


I would like to thank Foodbuzz for giving me the opportunity to attend this awesome event. It got my brain wheels going and BanYo and I kept saying, “That was SO fun.” over and over and over after the event was done. San Francisco can really benefit with more discussions and events like this. I am looking forward to the three-day symposium the Asian Culinary Forum is offering in October. You best believe you will see me there with open ears and an empty belly once again. Again, such an astounding event.


“Joanne,
To good food, good wine, and a great life.
Aloha,
Kelly Degala
7/08”

Asian Culinary Forum

I just want to thank Foodbuzz for sending me to the Asian Culinary Forum on Monday the 21st. It was fun, provocative (my favorite word of the night) and delicious. I had the honor of meeting the chef I wrote about in my contest entry (Kelly Degala of Pres a Vi) and having quite a lengthy conversation with him after the chef panel discussion. I learned so much from the talk and am looking forward to visitng his restaurant in the Presidio. Long report to come!

Thanks, Foodbuzz!

Zazil - 8 Car Chicken?

Restaurant: Zazil Coastal Mexican Cuisine
Address: 845 Market Street, 4th Floor Westfield SF Centre
Phone Number: (415) 495-6379
Cuisine: Coastal Mexican
Date Last Visited: July 1, 2008
Dining Partner: Rox and Jenn


Every since Westfield was opened back in 2006, I had always wanted to check out the gallery of restaurants on the 4th floor. Now in 2008, I have become a real expert with the eateries down in the mall concourse. Seriously, the Powell Street BART station has become a home to me especially during my schooling in SOMA. Finally, after two years, I made a date with my Cuzzos to meet me under the rotunda to enjoy some Coastal Mexican.


Ceiling decorations ball thingies
Luckily for me, I found that restaurant.com has cheapo gift certificates for a fraction of the price. I got a $25 one for very little. You do have to spend at least $35 in order to use the certificate, which is very simple to do here in the place. When I try someplace for the very first time, I like to order something from each part of the menu so that I have a taste of what they have, so $35 was easy especially with my cousins here. Also when I try a new place, I have high hopes, but I do prepare to be disappointed, so anything that will lessen the price in that even helps a bit.


So we finally get there, and it was not packed, but there were a few tables taken. We were seated smack dab in the middle of the dining room (by the pillar/tree-looking thing). Since they serve Coastal Mexican, there was a blue/aqua/white motif. I usually like the blues, but the blue fishy-decals on the walls was a bit cheesy. I liked the wispy white curtains, but they really didn’t help in shielding the shopping centre right outside.


Warm Tortillas with Dipping Salsas
They serve tortillas as their “bread course” and these were so delicious. The tortillas themselves were warm and soft. From the left to the right, the salsas increase in heat. The first one was almost sweet. Not surprised if there was some sort of tamarind in it. The middle was a salsa verde. My favorite of the three. The bright one is a bit more acidic, like a Mexican buffalo-style sauce. I sure wish they kept the tortillas coming! That salsa verde was my winner.


TOSTADAS / TOPPED CRISPY CORN TORTILLAS -
TINGA DE POLLO
chipotle marinated chicken and onion
It was perfect that there were three on the plate so that there would be one for the each of us. The chicken was very tasty in a surprisingly light sauce. I didn’t sense the chipotle in it, however. We enjoyed the tender meat and the crispy tortilla underneath. It is not very spicy, so it is safe enough for someone who is sensitive to hot foods. Thumbs up.


CALLOS DE HACHA / SEA SCALLOPS
pan seared scallops served with zucchini blossom and
vegetable medley, garlic-poblano chili sauce
This was Jenn’s entrée. Scallops are one of those seafoods which you can mess us very easily. A second too long on the heat make them rubbery. I was interested how the flavors would be, so I took a bite and it hit me very bluntly. Scallops are supposed to be sweet and succulent, right? I believe they were cooked a bit too long and the flavor was not right. They didn’t taste right at all - fishy and smoky. Are they supposed to be like that? I was thinking if they were on the grill that they’d pick up the smokiness from there, but since the menu says “pan-seared,” I don’t know anymore. I really liked the vegetable medley - the corn added some nice sweetness. Jenn said, “At first…they blow your mind out…after a while you get tired of it and you need something new.” I wouldn’t order this again.


MOLE NEGRO CON POLLO/ BLACK MOLE WITH CHICKEN
traditional Oaxacan black mole, roasted
chicken breast and white rice
Rox’s entrée - Well doesn’t this just look like dinuguan (Filipino chocolate meat)? I stole a bite (of course) and it was something totally different from what I had expected. I knew there was real chocolate in it, but being in the mind-frame of dinuguan (which is savory, a little sweet and a little tart), I was a bit thrown off. All I can say about this is that it was DEEP. I do not know how many different types of chilies and spices they threw in there, but it was really complex. I also got a smoky component from it as well. Not something that I would order though. Rox said she liked it, but “couldn’t handle too much spice.”


POLLO CON HUITLACOCHE / HUITLACOCHE CHICKEN
chicken breast stuffed with huitlacoche, Portobello
mushrooms, white corn-potato puree, garlic-poblano
chili sauce and crispy potato
HUITLACOCHE? 8 cars? Get it? Huit = “eight” in French and coche = “car” in Spanish. Haha. French and Coastal Mexican dialect for you there. This was one of those times when I should have looked up at the waiter and asked, “What on Earth, dear server of mine, is HUITLACOCHE?” When I was brought my platter, all I focused on was the black stuff in the middle of my chicken. What did they put in there? Black beans? I ate it anyway, but I did not enjoy the filling AT ALL. I didn’t notice the Portobellos and the chicken was pretty bland. The white-corn-potato puree was bland. The crispy potato tasted like over-fried potato chip crumbs at the bottom on the bag. I didn’t like the sauce. No, I didn’t like the dish at all. I was so disappointed because I didn’t enjoy Rox and Jenn’s dishes either. So before I started writing about this dining experience, I went ahead and looked up what HUITLACOCHE was. Turns out that HUITLACOCHE is a fungus that attacks ears of corn and make the corn kernels expand up to 10 times their usual size and make them turn BLACK. Yes, those were not black beans. These were fungus-attacked corn kernels in my chicken. UGH. The fungus also makes the corn taste like a smoky mushroom. The fungus is mostly used in conjunction with other mushrooms. So if there is mushroom already in the dish, why use this? And what is up with these unnecessary smoky flavors? I didn’t get it. I thought “coastal” meant fresh and airy and clean. I guess not. I am SO not doing this one again.


CHURROS with dulce de leche ice cream
When the server asked if we were to have dessert, I was polite and asked for the dessert menu not having the intention of ordering it. BUT we ordered just one dessert - the churros and ice cream. I mean, how can they possibly mess this one up? Thankfully, they didn’t. The churros were warm and filled with caramel. So the contrasting temperatures worked very well. I do have to say that it was too sweet for me. Cinnamon sugar on the outside, warm caramel on the inside, caramel syrup garnished the plate and luscious dulce de leche ice cream on the side. Talk about cavities. The girls loved it though.

I don’t know what else to say about this place. I was disappointed for real. The appetizers and dessert were very nice, but the entrées were an extreme let-down. I don’t know if Rox took her leftover mole home to be polite or if she really liked it. I honestly left everything I didn’t eat on my plate. There was no point in bringing it home because it was going to go to the garbage anyway. The bar looked very nice with their array of booze and the live music was very pleasant and made the ambiance a bit more authentic, but let’s be honest here: it’s in the mall. I think they should put up walls to encase the restaurants. I got turned off with every turn I made with my head. I would see people walking by with their shopping bags or people across the way at Coccola bakery enjoying food that tasted a whole lot better than mine, which made me even more depressed. I don’t know if I would come back here for entrées, but maybe for a drink and an appetizer. Thank goodness I had that certificate to pay for part of the check because if I had for the full amount, I would have had a cow. When it comes to Mexican, I think I’ll stick with my taquerias.

Restaurant Listing

Hey everyone,

So I was looking over my site and realized that the list of posts on the side are super small and make me dizzy. So I made a separate site with a separate url (www.jobostonsrestaurantlist.blogspot.com) for everyone's convenience.

So far, I only have the restaurants I have posted categorized by price, and soon I will have categories like location, genre of food, etc.

I hope you find it helpful.

Thanks,
Jo

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

I am so excited! I was chosen by FoodBuzz to cover the Asian Culinary Forum event/chef panel "Are You What You Cook?" on Monday, July 21, 2008 at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero! What a great opportunity to listen to some of the best Asian chefs around. I decided to bring BanYo as my "date" because he is a culinary student and I think he would benefit A LOT from the forum. I'm couting down the days! =)

I feel so lucky because, first of all, this is my FIRST time doing anything like this, so I am very grateful to be given the opportunity. FoodBuzz is so awesome. Last week, I went on their site and there was a call for SF Bay bloggers to give a reason which of the speakers they would like to hear from and why and this was my response:

"I am most interested in hearing KELLY DEGALA, Executive Chef, Va de Vi. The reason is that he probably was born and raised in the most Asian “melting pot” in the Americas – Hawaii. Being a Filipino, I am incredibly interested in learning about my culture and how immigrants from the Philippines have made their way throughout the United States. I also am intrigued with how the Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian immigrants have come together with native Hawaiians to create such a wonderful cuisine. These Asian groups worked in the pineapple plantations many years ago and even though they did not know the same language, they communicated through their food. The Japanese mingled with the Filipinos, the Koreans with the Chinese and so on and so on. After World War II, American GI’s couldn’t wait to come home and express how wonderful the Hawaiian paradise was, so pretty soon, rather corny tiki bars opened everywhere and having a luau was the thing to do. Hawaiian cuisine is much more than mai tais and pineapple rings. Hawaii really has something great to offer because the food covers such a wide spectrum of Asian goodness. Kalbi with macaroni salad. Kim chee, SPAM with Japanese noodles. Hamburger patties with gravy and a sunny-side up egg. Hot dogs with passionfruit ketchup. SPAM musubi! Pork ribs in adobo sauce. Red pickled mangos. I am especially excited that this cuisine is hitting the mainland. I am also intrigued with how he can create high-excellence dishes in a background that is so “hang loose” and CHILL. How does he come up with Asian dishes that are of 4-diamond quality? The panel discussion is titled, “Are You What You Cook?” and I am excited to see what Chef Degala is going to say because the citizens of Hawaii today are rich in culture – most of them are of mixed race or “hapa,” so I am hoping he touches upon how the mingling of races and flavors influence his cooking."

=D

Ate Di, My Sweety K, and I all have a soft spot for Hawaii and the culture, so you can say that I was pretty passionate when I wrote that. =)

SO THANK YOU FOODBUZZ for this extraordinary opportunity!

P.S. Happy 1-year-FoodBuzz-Anniversary to me (July 15)!

Good Karma

So I was on BART this morning on my way to work. I was in the aisle seat, so when the gentlemen in the window seat had to get off at Montgomery, I had to get up to give him room. As I sat back down, the pin on my FoodBuzz tote popped off and rolled under the chair in front of me.

"Oh $hit!" came out of my mouth because it was the pin with my blog title on it. So I looked underneath the chair and didn't see it. I asked myself:

Are you going to risk being late and find your pin?

OR

Are you going to leave the pin in the train?

DAMMIT, I'M LOOKING FOR MY PIN.

Luckily, two rows in front of me, a lady picked up something from the floor. I got up and saw what it was: MY PIN! She musta have thought I was psycho for demanding it from her.

Well, I didn't DEMAND it. I was really sweet and said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry, that's mine. I was looking for it."

With a smile, she handed it to me. I sat back down realizing I didn't know where I was - whether we just left Montgomery or if we were already in the tunnel going to the East Bay. I have to get off at Embarcadero, so if we were in the tunnel, my booty was going to be late for work.

Thankfully we were still on our way to the Embarcadero, so yes. I was very happy.

To the lady who found my pin: I WISH YOU GOOD KARMA!

Gary Danko - Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!

Restaurant: Gary Danko
Address: 800 North Point Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, SF
Phone Number: (415) 749-2060
Cuisine: French
Date Last Visited: April 23, 2008
Dining Partner: Momma and SAM

So there is this lady in my life. She’s my mom. Everyone is going to claim that their mom is the best mom in the world. Well, my mom is the best mom in the whole universe. I will tell you 10 good reasons why she is the best mom in the whole universe:

10. She lied to a waiter about my age and bought me a margarita for my 19th birthday
9. She let me blast Linkin Park in her car - I even caught her singing along
8. She works at The Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons Hotels in SF - yeah. Hook up!
7. She and I do not hesitate to take the dance floor at any party
6. She and I can go to Victoria’s Secret together, talk about bras, and not feel awkward
5. She works 16 hours a day but is still a lively woman on her day-off
4. She watched Sex and the City as much as I did and we watched the movie together
3. She and I like to go in front of the bathroom mirror and model our new sunglasses
2. She knows what tartare, foie gras, crème brulee, caviar, and filet mignon and who Ron Siegel, Michael Mina, and Gary Danko all are

But the #1 reason why my mom is the best is not as shallow or superficial as anything I have listed above. She is the best because she faced adversity and surpassed everyone’s expectations. When her husband tragically passed away back when I was about ten or so, she was put in a terrible position. She had to take on the role of both mother and father to two crazy girls. She took on two jobs and works as much as 16 hours in a single day. You people complain about your normal 8-hour shift - think about doing two of them. She sacrificed so much for me and my sister and all I want to do is make her proud. My mom is the youngest child, among 6, and she was the one who flew to the Philippines two times in a year to see my grandma when she was ill. Those are mad expensive plane tickets, but she worked her ass off to make that money without anyone’s help (and without credit cards) to get to her mother, whom she loves very dearly. Two days after this dinner, she did indeed hop a plane to the Philippines. You would think that her working so much would drain her, but it miraculously hasn’t. If you see a petite, 5’0”-tall Filipina woman walking on Market street in the middle of San Francisco with her gigantic Louis Vuitton purse, you’re probably looking at my mother. She still has a sparkle in her a eye and a spring in her step. AND she is still single. (Holla!) Just kidding. Jokes aside, my mom is truly the best.


When I decided to take my mother to dinner for Mother’s Day, I knew it had to be somewhere nice. No way in hell I was going to bring her anywhere where the bill amount was going to be under 3 digits long (5 digits with the cents, of course). It was only going to be the best for her. I love how my mom is so knowledgeable about the food scene here in San Francisco. She works at two of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in the City, so she knows a lot. I must get this foodie-ness from her. Unfortunately we could only snag a reservation on a Friday night even though I called a month in advance, but we were so excited that we both took that day off just so that we did not have to rush over there after work. We’re funny. I knew that this was a dinner fit for her because she was with the Ritz Carlton staff when the hotel first opened back in 1991. Gary Danko was the executive chef at The Dining Room at that time, so Momma knows about him very well.


I wanted her to have a beautiful bouquet of flowers when we got there because she loves flowers - especially orchids - you should see how many orchid plants we have in our living room. The restaurant referred me to Jun Piñon Designs for the delivery and this bad boy cost me $100. Yeah, I know. Honestly, it is very pretty, but it was so small that we almost missed it. The most MODED part is that my mom asked where I got them and I told her about Jun Piñon. Turns out that he does arrangements for the Ritz and Four Seasons and she knows him PERSONALLY. Gaddammit. She says he even calls her “ate” (pronounced AHH-TEH, which means “older sister” in Filipino - he’s Filipino as well if you didn’t know already). Wow, did my face turn beet-red. Hey, it’s for my mom - anything for her…*cries off to the corner* $100 *sniff*


Bread and Butter
brought to us by the lovely Zoë
I must say that I preferred this bread over the ones I had at The Dining Room. They only serve one type here: crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. Perfect. My kind of bread. Poor Zoë (one of the servers), she had to refill our plates every time she made her rounds.


Rose Champagne
for Momma
Which I ended up taking. Ha!

Saffron Gnocchi
with Cheese and Microgreen
Our amuse bouche was a cute little potato dumpling that was basically drenched in some sort of butter sauce and topped with shaved Parmesan. Talk about intense. It was still warm and the server even advised us to eat them as soon as possible. Yeah, our noses were in the menus for a while. I think if I had a whole bowl of these suckers, I would not even finish it. I would be lucky if I could keep 5 down. One of these is good enough for me.


Risotto
with Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Zucchini, Crispy Artichokes and Lemon-Herb Butter

This was SAM’s choice for her first course and it was pretty good. This is my real first time having risotto and while the seafood and vegetable were very tasty, I did find the rice to be a bit too al dente. OR do I have it all wrong? Is there SUPPOSED to be that little bit of raw rice in the middle of the grain? I apologize for my naïve disposition of risotto. It is just that my Inang would make Arroz Caldo (cooked down rice with chicken and ginger) and the consistency was silky without any raw bites. I guess I am just used to that texture and having my rice cooked all the way. Other than that, the seafood was perfectly cooked and the addition of grated cheese made the rice a bit more luxurious-feeling on the tongue. *thumbs up*


Lobster Salad
with Apple, Jicama, Celery Root and Marinated Citrus

When this was placed in front of Momma, I was seriously jealous. That portion of lobster is substantial. I stole a bite and it was indeed sweet and nicely prepared. I liked how the dressing was not covering the entire claw. Very nice. =)


Seared Ahi Tuna
with Avocado, Nori, Enoki Mushrooms and Lemon Soy Dressing

Ta-Da! This was my first course and if you like sushi, especially the raw stuff, you will love this dish. The fresh tuna was lightly seared on all sides before slicing. That color is so vivid. The overall dish was well-balanced - with fattiness coming from the avocado, protein from the fish, and freshness from the greens and mushrooms. There is a soy dressing along with pickled ginger if you like to go the sushi-eater’s route. Well, think of it has a carb-free, deconstructed California roll. =) I SO thought of Star while eating this. She would LOVE this.


Roasted Loin of Bison
with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Glazed Cipollini Onions
and Herb Spätzle
I will be perfectly honest: when SAM ordered this, I thought, “Are you sure?” I would have never thought of her opting for something that is unfamiliar to her. Sure enough she left her comfort zone and she was well-rewarded. I thought that bison would have a gross gaminess to it, but betchabygollywow, it didn’t. I was so surprised how lean and light this meat was. BIG surprise of the night. For my taste, I would have liked another starch to go along with it because it was, well, just a pile of animal. The Spätzle was okay…rice would have been awesome. (Ha, Filipino) Not something I would order on my own, but it was a great thing to try especially since I have ever had it before.


Seared Sea Scallops
with Salsify, Fava Beans, Frisée and Pancetta
Tell me why my eyes rolled to the back of my skull when Momma let me have a taste. These, ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between, are THE BEST scallops I have ever put my mouth to. Not overly done and served in simple, yet genius, presentation. They weren’t OA with this dish and it was for the better because these scallops could sing on their own. Their sweetness was a star component and their texture was just superb - tender and delicate. Good Lord. Again, I thought of Star when I tasted this. It was fantastic.


Lemon Herb Duck
with Duck Hash and Rhubarb Compote

Finally my main course - DUCK. I seriously do not know why I ordered duck because that afternoon, we ate at a Thai place for lunch and guess what, I had duck. The most I can say about this dish that it was “okay.” I guess I am partial to Asian-style/Peking duck because this didn’t really impress me. The duck had this weird, gamey aftertaste which I did not like and the garnishes sprinkled on top are unidentifiable to me. The rhubarb compote was too sweet and the duck hash was too salty. I think the thing I enjoyed most about this plate of food were the vegetables. Even though I had A LOT of meat on my plate, I’m sorry, I was disappointed.


Trio of Crème Brûlée with Cookies
This was SAM’s choice for dessert and I was about to get this, but you will see why I did NOT in a little bit. There is a regular vanilla, coffee, and peanut butter. I would say that the consistency and layer of burnt sugar as perfect. I also enjoyed the different flavors! Peanut butter? That is SAM’s favorite food in the world, so she was in ecstasy. Warning: these are not your wittle itty bitty ones you usually get. These are wide and very filling. SAM didn’t even finish one of them. Sucks they don’t do dessert doggy-bags. =) Very nice.


Baked Chocolate Soufflé
with Two Sauces - Chocolate and Creme Anglaise

Momma got this and I was so surprised because she usually doesn’t go for very rich desserts. Hand her a mango and she is happy, but NOOO, she had to get the soufflé. I just asked her and she said she likes the warm chocolate characteristic it has. Nice. Our server poured in the two sauces tableside, but my camera is super slow and I was not able to get a decent action shot. Boo. I had a bite and it was indeed very yummy. Come on! How could it NOT be. Light and airy and chocolate-y. Sounds like Heaven doesn’t it? =)


Mascarpone Semifreddo
with Strawberries and Basil, Toasted Cake, and Balsamic Caramel
Now I will tell you about MY dessert. Strawberries and cheese. My loves. I will just put it out there and say that I HAD THE BEST dessert. This one was a seasonal dessert so I don’t think it’s on the menu anymore. I am SO happy I was there for this because the semifreddo - which is like an ice cream in this case - was made with mascarpone, a luscious, creamy cheese. It went so PERFECT with the fresh strawberries. PERFECT. I could have done without the toasted cake and the basil. I don’t know why, I’m more of a simplest when it comes to desserts. I go for the straightforward flavors of fresh fruit and creams. I don’t need herbs or cake. I really don’t. Just cream and fruit. =) I was so in Heaven. Seriously, I cannot think of another dessert as perfect for me as this. The most AWESOME dessert ever. I was so very happy. I still can’t get over how good this was.


Latte - Momma’s Latte
I love the glass. So fancy.

Mignardis- yummy goodies
Their presentation is not as extravagant as The Dining Room’s, but the treats were so scrumptious. Peanut brittle, mini tarts, lemon-poppy seed cookie, truffle, candied fruit and jellies. You can say that this silver dish was empty when we left. Again, splendid.


Take Home Gift- breakfast cake
Now this is so cute. After you pay the bill, they give you these treats to take home. Our server said that inside was a pineapple (I think) cake that can be enjoyed in the morning. Genius. Gary Danko for dinner. Gary Danko for breakfast. Momma gave her’s to Star and SAM ate her’s and she said it was really good. I haven’t eaten mine yet. It’s actually an embellishment piece on my desk in my “decoration corner” at work. It has an expiration date in 2009, so even if I eat it now, it shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t know, it’s almost like a little golden trophy like, “Ha! I have been to Gary Danko!” I am just so cocky sometimes. Excuse my crudeness. =)


Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!
This meal was GLORIOUS. I enjoyed every minute of it and I am glad that my family had a wonderful time as well. The most expensive presents and dinners can never compare to the gifts and love that mothers give to their children. My mother gave me the ultimate gift: LIFE. I am so happy to be her daughter and I am so proud to call her MOM. She is the quintessential being of what and whom I hope I can be in the future. I wanted the best for my mom on her special day and I think it was MISSION:ACCOMPLISHED.

***********************************************
Dear Momma,

Thank you for everything you have done for me. I know it must have been hard to raise me alone, but I am so proud of you. Watching you work so hard and for so long only makes me want to be more like you. You are an inspiration and I could only hope to someday be as great as a mother to my own children as you are to me. I love you so much.

Love,
Joanne
Aka Baby Damulag =)

***********************************************