7X7's Big Eat List is FUN!

=)


I REALLY sat in the back patio for this. It was so worth it.
If you haven't done so already, eat there on a sunny day
and just enjoy! Technically, there is no "Eggs Benedict"
on the menu - Canadian bacon, hollandaise, poached eggs,
on English muffin - but there are other creative variations
of the poached egg dish, and they all looked fabulous.

Not on Treat Street as 7x7 indicates on the site.
We found her on the corner or 21st and Florida.

** See what I've tried so far **

I Am SO Proud of This Cake!

Hi Loves,

I know it's been a while...Over the weekend, I had some urge to make a rainbow cake. I don't know where exactly this inspiration came from, but it came and I am so proud of the outcome. Saturday night, after watching "He's Just Not That Into You" (GREAT movie) with my sis SAM, Neicey-Poo Jayla, Cuzzin Jenn, and Ate Di, the baker in me came out to play. Mind you, it was past 10 at night, so that meant I was up real late just to make this cake. I was still up at 1 a.m. preparing it. In all honesty, I didn't mind it at all...


Ate Di and I messed with food coloring to make the colors of the rainbow. Watching the plain white cake batter turn to different shades wow'ed me. It was a lot of fun.


After cooling all 6 layers of cake, I frosted each with whipped cream and then the whole cake with "whipped cream" frosting. I then sprinkled the whole thing with pink sugar.


VOILA! My rainbow cake was beautiful! I know the middle was a little higher than the sides, but it is not bad for my first time. Not only was it visually appealing, it tasted awesome as well...



See, even Neicey-Poo Jayla wanted some. =)
I would love to make this cake again. Bub went as far to say that it was the best cake he ever tasted. Ever? Wow, that said a lot. So if your birthday is coming up and want this cake - hit me up! =)

I Was a Cooking Machine Today

*posting via mobile device in bed* the title says it all. ate di and cuzzin jenn came over to spend the day with, SAM, neicey-poo jayla, and i. lots of fun. ate di prepared spanish rice and ground meat with onions and cumin for tacos, as well as the acoutrements. jenn helped me with fresh pico de gallo and balsamic marinated grilled portobello mushrooms which we chilled. i made a quiche with bacon, broccoli, and cheese, as well as a 6-layer rainbow cake for cuzzin star and auntie lolit for tomorrow. when i say "rainbow" that means each layer is a different color. it was so fun playing with the food coloring. we also fried up some lumpiang shanghai, grilled some hot links, and boiled/pan-fried chedderwurst. HEFFAS! im not even playing...all this for just us four. we watched "he's just not that into you" and ate some ice cream too. i should be eating salad for the rest of the week. its almost 2 am and i am beat. another eventful day tomorrow. i am hoping that everyone out there is having a fabulous weekend! ~jo

I'm Almost There, 7x7!!

I am getting REAL excited to get this list done! =)




** See what I've tried so far **

Jo is a Bozo

So I put my camera's memory stick into the card slot of my Acer Aspire-1 without the adapter.

It got stuck.

I panicked. How the hell was I going to get my pictures from last night onto the computer?

I tried using tweezers. Didn't work. Tried using a pen and pushing it down so that maybe the spring mechanism inside would launch the memory stick out of there. Didn't work.

I was desparate, so I Googled:
"How to get a stuck memory card out of acer aspire-1?"

THIS WEBSITE WAS THE FIRST IN THE SEARCH RESULTS
Thank God Almighty! Free at last!

Thank you Lloyd and Lauren.

You saved me big time today!

P.S. I stuck in the memory stick without the adapter again. No, I haven't learned my lesson. I guess the reason why I did it again was that I now have a rescue plan.

See, Jo is a major bozo.

Free Pastry at Starbucks

So I gave in. I had to have Starbucks today - I mean, free food is great. I blame Starbucks for my weight gain. LOL! One white chocolate mocha everyday for a year will do that to you. These days I have been getting venti sweetened shaken passion ice tea lemonades. I haven't had coffee at Starbucks in a long time, so I might get jittery throughout the day. Joy.



They spelled my name wrong, but it's ok. BUT WHY did the guy give me the reduced-fat coffee cake instead of the Classic coffee cake? Total DROP DEAD DIVA moment. It's okay...the classic coffee cake had nuts in it and the reduced-fat has cinnamon swirl. I actually like the cinnamon-swirl.

Anyway, that is my "Free Pastry Day at Starbucks" story of the day. Hurry up, print the coupon and get your breakfast. You have only about 30 minutes left!!!

Burma SuperStar - Vegetarian Goodness with My (BCF) Cuzzin Star

Restaurant: Burma SuperStar
Address: 309 Clement St. b/t 4th and 5th Avenues,
Inner Richmond, SF
Phone Number: (415) 387-2147
Cuisine: Burmese
Date Last Visited: May 27, 2009
Dining Partner: Star

When Star told me last year that she was becoming a vegetarian, my heart broke and I felt a piece of my BCF had left me. Who would I enjoy Kobe beef with? Who was going to eat the other 75% of my foie gras? Who was going to sneak the bone marrow off my plate? WHO?! I was so sad because Star was my #1 dining partner. She was adventurous enough to try new restaurants and eat edibles that are inedible to others. Honestly, I was annoyed when I would have to cook for family gatherings because I had to make a special dish just for her so that she would not feel left out. *rolls eyes* I thought she was being real OA. Eventually, I saw that it was important to her, so whenever I picked out a place to eat, I took that extra step and made sure they had a good list of choices for vegetarians. Burma SuperStar was the perfect place to go to because I never had Burmese food before. It was going to be a new experience for me and I love trying new things.


Tea Leaf Salad
Salad Prepared with Imported Burmese
Tea Leaves, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Fried Garlic,
Sesame Seeds, Peanuts, and Split Yellow Peas
The tea leaf salad was on the 7x7 Big Eat List and I was hesitant to try it because I have never really been adventurous in different types of salad…especially the Asian kind. The most “Asian” I ever got to an Asian salad is the Chicken Salad with Mandarin Oranges at the Elephant Bar. However, as far as eating salad with tea leaves…I get scared. That is why I am so glad that 7x7 had this on their list because otherwise, I would not have even been interested in trying it out. I also liked that the server prepared it tableside. I believe that it is important for the restaurant to let us know what exactly in the salad.


After the server combined all the ingredients
I was pleasantly surprised with how good this salad was. For those who have never tried this salad, the tea leaves are in a paste - almost like a thick pesto that is more of a contributor to the dressing. The server added some acidity with a generous squeezing of a lemon overtop. The tea leaves left a subtle flavor which I cannot really describe in words. It is a different flavor which I haven’t been exposed to much. There were peanuts and split peas which added crunch, but I could have done without them. The lettuce and tomatoes would have been just fine. Not something I would eat all the time, but it was very good and Star enjoyed it very much.


Vegetarian Egg Rolls
Homemade Egg Rolls Frilled with Bean Thread Noodles,
Shredded Cabbage, Celery, and Carrots
Keeping with the vegetarian theme, we went for the egg rolls. There is always a fear when ordering egg rolls that they would be too greasy or soggy. These were fantastic. The wrapper was cooked without leaving an oily mess on our fingers. In vegetables inside were flavorful. I particularly liked the addition of the bean thread noodles. They are also known as cellophane noodles which is used for sotanghon, one of my favorite pancits.


Pork Curry
Burma SuperStar Curry with Potatoes
Star saw my pain and said it was okay for me to order a meat dish. I really wanted to make the effort in making the meal as vegetarian as possible though to let her see that I do respect her knew eating style. BUT. Jo is an herbivore. I’m EOE - an equal opportunity eater. I have never had curry before that had pork. This meat is so tender and full or flavor. It is a different kind of curry - a little bit of Thai and a little bit of Indian. I was even reminded of Filipino menudo or kaldareta when I tasted it. The combination of pork and potatoes took me back when Inang made adobo. I can really see the mingling of flavors in this dish. It tasted it had a tomato based, but I could be wrong. But what makes it special are the spices used to flavor it. Like I said before, kinda like a Filipino menudo but with a little more aromatic spice in it. It wasn’t spicy-on-fire-hot, but there was a smoky heat at the back of my throat after eating it. The pork won me over right away. So tender and melt in your mouth. I would order this again most definitely.


Tofu Tower
Silken Tofu Lightly Fried on a Bed of Watercress
Topped with Mushrooms, Bell Peppers
in a Chili, Black Bean Sauce
Star was spying on the table to her left and saw this. We asked the server for our own plate and it was incredible. Perfect balance of sauce and vegetables. The tofu was divine - crisp exterior but the inside was smooth. There were also different textures from the chewy mushrooms, tender watercress, to the fresh peppers. It really looked like a tower as it was presented like a building with the tofu slabs acting as a building blocks. Like the curry, not overly hot. Perfect spice and great choice of veggies. Again, something I would order if I were here.


Starches
Japanese Short Grain Brown Rice
and Jasmine Long Grain Rice
I really appreciated that there were different types of rice here. I also saw coconut rice for those who like that stuff. I like the plain rice because I want an unbiased platform for my stews. Star went healthy and ordered the brown rice.

I loved Burma SuperStar and cannot wait to come back. I was scared that we would not have been able to find parking and get a table, but we did fairly quickly. It does get filled up quite fast, and as we were leaving we saw lots of people waiting outside for a chance to get in. I can see why Burma SuperStar has a great following. The food was fantastic. Because Burma is bordered by so many different countries, the food is influenced in different ways as well. You get inspiration from India, China, Laos, Thailand…such a beautiful array of flavors. What I appreciated most was that the food catered to vegetarians. Many items on the menu can be made vegetarian if that is what the diner wants, and I am so glad that there is a place that does that. This place is a winner in my book.

Heartbroken

*posting blog with mobile device - still in bed* today was supposed to be my pink tea party for jayla's two-month birthday. but my VIP guest, auntie lolit, was admitted in the hospital late thursday due to complications associated with her leukemia. i am so sad. i was ready to cancel the whole thing because i really wanted auntie lolit here. special dinners at my place are incomplete without her. but the tea party is for jayla after all, and cancelling neicey-poo's celebration would not have done any good either. so i changed it from a tea party to a ladies luncheon. not as cute as a tea party, but i want to save that for auntie lolit. okay, time to get up and get the food ready. my guests are due to arrive in 3 hours. after lunch, we will be heading to the hospital to visit auntie. she made a special request for my mom to make her "denengdeng," a Filipino vegetable dish made with bagoong that my family loves to make. as long as auntie is comfortable and eating well, i will be happy. get well soon, auntie! =)

Ton Kiang - Enjoying Some Dim Sum with Bub

Restaurant: Ton Kiang
Address: 5821 Geary Blvd. b/t 22nd and 23rd Ave.
Outer Richmond, SF
Phone Number: (415) 752-4440
Cuisine: Dim Sum
Date Last Visited: July 3, 2009
Dining Partner: Bub

I don’t do dim sum very much. Mainly because for the most part, it can get very expensive if there is no self-control. Momma works near Chinatown so she brings home dim sum sometimes for cheap, so what’s the use in going to a restaurant when you can have it brought home? Right.


However, 7x7’s Big Eat 100 had a certain dumpling on their list, so I had to make a special trip out to the Outer Richmond to have it. Ton Kiang is one of those restaurants where Yelpers either hate it or love it. There is no middle ground, so I thought this was the perfect time to find out what I thought about it. So on this Friday morning, we made our way to Ton Kiang to have dim sum for breakfast. It being a weekday, the place wasn’t too busy. I could only imagine the wait on a Saturday or Sunday. Thankfully for us, we didn’t have to worry about any type of wait.


Dai Dze Gao - Scallop and Shrimp Dumpling
I have to admit here, I never sat down for dim sum the way they do here. I usually see the carts being pushed around by servers. Here they bring around trays of the little bamboo steamers to each of the table. This was one of the first dumplings brought to the table and I knew that I had to have a serving. They were delicious. Nice portion of shrimp and scallop in each dumpling. I was so glad that Bub is allergic to seafood because I got to have the whole plate to myself.


Steamed Meatballs
Bub chose these and I wasn’t a fan of them. They were basically steamed and rubbery in texture. I only had one of them. No, I didn’t like them much.


Siu Lung Bao - Shanghai Meat Dumplings
Most of the dumplings on the menu had seafood in them so Bub had a very small selection. That was too bad because the seafood dumplings are far more superior than the meat ones. These were probably the most boring meat dumplings I have ever had. I was hoping that they would be like XLB’s with soup on the inside. But no. Disappointed.


Siu Mai - Pork Dumplings
I was worried about Bub when we ate these because I saw shrimp in them. They need to make their menu descriptions more…well, descriptive. They just say, “pork dumplings.” I mean, what if Bub was extremely allergic? These were boring too. I guess I have just too many of these before to really get excited.


Wah Tip - Pot Stickers
Another meat dumpling. These were okay. I only ate one, but I did like the sear on the bottoms. I liked the crispy texture a lot. The filling, good, but not extraordinary. I like these way more than the Shanghai meat dumplings. I suppose the reason why I think the meat dumplings were so boring is that I did not see any difference in the way the fillings were seasoned. I only saw a difference in the wrapper and the dipping sauce that it came with, which we will touch upon in a little bit.


Gao Choy Got - Green Chives and Shrimp Dumplings
Now these are why we came here. I like how they showed the browned bottoms. That caramel color makes me so hungry.


When these were brought to the table, the server marked the price on the worksheet-type of receipt that was at every table. This way, the cashier knows how much to calculate at the end of your meal. I saw that this was one of the more expensive dishes at $5. $5? Really? I mean, they weren’t even that big. $1.25 for each piece. Insane.


I had to get over how expensive they were and taste these things. Whenever I try something off of the list, I ask myself, “Does this item DESERVE to be on that list?” I usually get the answer within two bites of whatever I am eating. I was on the fence with these. The shrimp on the inside was succulent and sweet; however, I was put off by the chives. I know they were “shrimp and CHIVE” dumplings, but I guess I am not a chive fan. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but I think the scallop and shrimp dumplings should have made the 7x7 list.


Chinese Condiments:
Sweet and Sour, Soy Vinegar,
Hot Chinese Mustard, Jalapeno, and Soy Sauce
I am such a condiment whore and I love how each dumpling had its own sauce. My favorite was definitely the minced jalapeno. It had heat, but it wasn’t too spicy that I had to drink enormous amounts of water to cool my palate. I actually liked putting a lot of in on the scallop and shrimp dumplings. I didn’t use the hot mustard much and the sweet and sour had an odd aftertaste. I also enjoyed the soy-vinegar sauce that came with the potstickers. The combination of sour and salty brings me joy.


Nai Wong Siu Ben - Egg Custard Rice Cakes
I eat in courses so we had to have dessert. I usually order dan tat, or egg custard tarts, but I saw these on the menu and figured that going for something similar but different would be fun. What I liked about these was that they were still warm when they came to the table. The outside is made with rice flour and it was sticky, bouncy, and a little greasy from being heated on a griddle (I am guessing from the browned surfaces). Inside was the egg custard filling. I regret not taking pictures of all the dumplings’ interiors, especially these ones, but they were beautiful. I adored these sweet pockets of egg goodness. They were sweet and absolutely addicting. I wanted another serving, but I was getting so full. I would come back for these alone. Unless someone can point me to a place in Chinatown that might have these (please?). I wish they put more the dish. Bub and I were basically fighting for the last bite. I was so surprised at how these blew me away. These should have been on the 7x7 list.

Ton Kiang is still so-so for me. One big reason why I am not completely won over is that the bill was ginormous. It was over $40 with the tax and tip. Ch-yeah. That alone will deter me from coming back anytime soon. As for the food, I would choose the seafood over the meat any day. I noticed that new dishes came out as we were winding up our meal and when those dishes would come to our table, I was kicking myself for not waiting until something REALLY good came out. I think that is why I don’t like eating dim sum. Not everything is printed on the menu. I saw vegetables come out - such as pea shoots and asparagus. No where on the menu does it mention they even serve veggies. I was disappointed because I spent a lot, but wasn’t satisfied. I think the best way to go about eating dim sum is with a group. Bub and I ordered a few dishes and we were stuffed at the end. The more people you have the more you can try out. I would have loved to try the crab claws. Oh yes, and make sure you bring people who aren’t allergic to seafood. I felt so bad for bringing Bub here because he didn’t have much to choose from. =( I don’t think I will be coming back here anytime soon because I bet there are cheaper and possibly better tasting dim sum elsewhere. Ton Kiang is just ok for me.

Time to Grow Up, Jo!

*posting blog while sitting on bus on the way to work* So I turned 25 this year. I freaked out. no more staying for free at the house. i am being charged the same amount our old tenant was. no fam discount. i am becoming responsible of more things in the household, like the PG&E and Comcast bills. i help care for my neicey-poo, and buy food for the fam and usually am the one who handles the bill at the end of a meal. i would have to say that being a contributer to the household is very fulfilling, but when you grow up, sacrifices have to be made. for me, that's dining out. i don't have kids yet, but i do want some eventually. i just gotta figure rout a new budget. i got paid yesterday, and a third of it is gone. i still have my cell bill and school loans to pay AND the lechon and cake for jayla's baptism party. gah. maybe i should trade my restaurant menu for the stove now. i really need to get my act together and learn how to save. 11711(wedding day) is coming soon...*whines* but i don't wanna grow up!!

7X7 Big Eat - Half-Way Done!!

No, I haven't forgotten. Can't wait to finally complete this list. I was asked over the weekend, what's after this list? I don't know yet, but that's something to think about because I am more than half-way done with this one. Lists are so much fun.






** See what I've tried so far **

Frustrated

I am so sorry, loves. I am having an extreme case of writer's block. I sure wish it weren't so. Hopefully I will get my mojo back soon. =(

Friday Favorite of the Week - Chapter 17 - My First Cheesecake!

Last weekend, I was playing around in the kitchen and found out that I had everything I needed for cheesecake. So I made little mini cheesecake cups with a Nutella and white chocolate swirl on top. They were a hit at my house. I was honestly surprised that I pulled it off because prior to this, the only way I made cheesecake was with the no-bake stuff. I actually made it from scratch! *gasp* SOOOO, yesterday, I was walking around Westfield Centre in SF and I just had the urge to make another cheesecake, but a full-sized one. =) Here is how it looked like:


Okay, so I didn't use a cheesecake/springform pan...mainly because I haven't bought one yet. So I saw what was available in my kitche. I thought I had a cake or pie pan, but couldn't find them. Then I found this pan which I use for Grace's Peach Float and brownies. It worked!

I made the base and then swirled in some caramel. I then put the cheesecake base on a graham cracker-chocolate cookie crust, which my sister loved. On one half, I stuck in some Pecan Pie Glazed Pecans and the other I swirled in Ghirardelli chocolate.

I haven't had any yet because I made it fairly late at night...I pulled it out of the oven at 11 p.m. HA! I put it in the fridge after it cooled a bit and it should be ready for consumption when I get home.

I cannot wait!

Splurge of the Day

I know all week I have been complaining of how broke I am on my Facebook...but I just had to buy this:



I know I don't NEED it, but La Boulange/Bay Bread is the only bakery in the City that I frequent and truly believe it. I mean, this is a book of knowledge!! I absolutely LOVE their products. Everytime I walk into any of their locations, I breathe in the bread-scented air and just relish in the beauty around me...I love it there!

I have tried La Boulange's:

-Canelles de Bourdoux
-Almond Croissant
-Chocolate and Hazelbnut Croissant
-Mini Chicken and Arugula Sandwich
-Choux with Chantilly Creme and Berries
-Beignet with Chantilly Creme and Berries
-Macarons Parisienne
-Apricot Tarte
-Quiches

Today, along with the book, I bought a Choux with Chantilly Creme and Berries and a Feta Scallion Roll...holy. I know. Okay, I admit, the book was a total impulse buy, but I think BanYo and I will have a great time trying to recreate the masterpieces in this book on our "Baking Day" which I am totally stoked about.

I am thinking about making a from-scratch dulce de leche cheesecake this weekend. Ay. It's going to be GREAT! Oh yeah, it's not a recipe in this book. Sorry. I'm going to take a couple recipes I see online and try to make it my own. We shall see. =)

As for this book, I am so excited to add it to my book collection at home.

Grubstake - And Grub We Did

Restaurant: Grubstake
Address: 1525 Pine Street between Polk and Van Ness, SF
Phone Number: (415) 673-8268
Cuisine: Portuguese, Diner
Date Last Visited: May 30, 2009
Dining Partner: Bub


Bub and I make an effort to go out and make an ordinary night one that we will remember. On this night, we drove to the City, not really knowing where we were going. It was between a place in the Tenderloin or Grubstake. After weighing out each places, we chose Grubstake, mainly because burgers are Bub’s favorite food. Hey, as long as he is happy, I am.


Grubstake is one of them restaurants that have a kitchy vibe to them. Half of the restaurant is comprised of a normal dining room and a rail car. That’s right. You can eat in a room that used to transport people. I like how the history of the restaurant is on the front of the menus. You can also read the restaurant’s history on their website. Grubstake is open until 4 a.m. Perfect for those night owls and clubbers.


Walking in the restaurant, we had to choose where to sit. The main dining room had a few tables already taken. I saw that the other room (streetcar room), was virtually empty. Perfect. We took a seat right by the window overlooking Polk Street. I love the décor in the restaurant. Very detailed wall designs, flowers, and artifacts from Portugal. Very unique in restaurant.


Caldo Verde Soup - Kale, Potatoes, Linguiça
This was on the menu’s Portuguese Corner page. I don’t think there is any other Portuguese restaurant in San Francisco, so getting to sample something like this is great. I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations where he was in the Azores. He was dining with a Portuguese family, and he mentioned the soup with the kale. If I never had this soup before, I would not have known what the heck he was talking about. Honestly, I tried it because it was on the 7x7 Big Eat list. The list called for a “3 a.m. bowl,” but I wasn’t about to come here that late. Personally, not my thing. I did like the potatoes and the Portuguese sausage, but Bub LOVED it. He cleaned the bowl out. He even said that he would come back just for the soup and that he would introduce his family to this place.


Grubstake’s Verde Fire Sauce
A bottle of hot sauce was brought to our table for dipping. It is made with jalapeno peppers and it is so good. It had a beautiful green hue and a flavor that is uniquely jalapeno. I have noticed that a lot of hot sauces rely on the heat of the peppers and vinegar. This had the heat, but it wasn’t too much. What I liked was that I could taste the natural jalapeno flavor. I actually ate a lot of this stuff and wasn’t uncomfortable at all afterward. You can buy a bottle of this for about 7 bucks. The server, who I presume is the restaurant’s owner, said that he makes the sauce himself. So you can only get this sauce here.!


Grubstake: cheeseburger with bacon
Both of us ordered cheeseburgers and even though they may be JUST cheeseburgers, there were great cheeseburgers. I ordered the Grubstake. I mean, how can you not order the burger with the restaurant’s name? The flavorful meat patties were juicy, the bread held up to the toppings, generous amount of bacon, oozing cheese. I may have found the PERFECT cheeseburger. That’s a big thing to say since almost everyone and their mommas serve burgers, but it’s true. Superlative, indeed. Those fries, which what fries are SUPPOSED to be, were addicting! I made a melange of mayo, ketchup, and the jalapeno sauce. FANTABULOUS!


Nugget: cheeseburger with bacon and a fried egg
Bub’s “Nugget” burger was exactly like my Grubstake burger except it had a fried egg in it. I thought that was unusual. Who eats an already calorie-laden burger with an additional cholesterol-laced over-medium egg? Bub does. After my first bite, I do. Something about the egg takes it to another level. The yolk lent a velvety layer and it was delicious. Like I said before. PERFECT burger. Something this simple should not be messed up and they make their’s so well.


Bub’s plate
As you can probably tell, Bub thoroughly enjoyed his plate. Every fry was eaten, all the burger was gone…yes, I didn’t take a picture of it, but my plate was almost identical. Grubstake’s food was just too irresistible to not finish.


House-Made Flan
I think it’s safe to say that any country that has been influenced by Spain or Portugal has their own recipe for flan. In the Philippines, we have leche flan, really highlighting the use of the different milks - condensed and evaporated. Here at Grubstake is it simply called “flan,” and this flan was OUT OF THIS WORLD. The consistency was consistent throughout from the outer edges to the center. I have had flans where the walls of the flan were fine, but the center was not set. Ick. This flan was perfectly cooked. The caramel itself was light, sweet, and thankfully not burnt-tasting. I hate bitter caramel on flan. I think if the caramel is ruined, the delicate egg flavors are overshadowed and ruined as well. One of the best flans I have ever tasted.

Grubstake was a pleasant surprise. I never thought that a restaurant, let alone one that is open until 4 in the morning, would impress me. IT DID! Bub was so amazed by this restaurant that he kept talking about how great it was even after the meal. Would I come back? Oh yes! There are so many other items on the menu that I want to try. They serve breakfast all day and night, but I want to sample more of their “Portuguese Corner.” They had steaks, pork chops, veggies… *smacks lips* I think everyone can find something they would enjoy here at Grubstake. I know that we have only touched the surface of what this restaurant has to offer, which makes me want to visit again very soon. =) Memorable experience.

7x7's Big Eat 100's SOUPS!

I really needed these because I have been sick for basically all of the month of June...hot and steamy...sexxxy...




** See what I've tried so far **

Watch Out for Me!

Hint Hint.
July issue. Look out.
Hopefully I don't look too bad in print.

Piperade - Happy 26th Birthday to My Wifey!

Restaurant: Piperade
Address: 1015 Battery St. b/t Union and Green,
The Embarcadero
Phone Number: (415) 391-2555
Cuisine: Spanish, Basque
Date Last Visited: June 8, 2009
Dining Partner: Rizzle-Nizzle

So it was my wifey Rizzle’s birthday. Who is Rizzle you ask? This is probably my first time posting a dinner on this blog with her as my dining partner. I know she frequents my site, so I want to send a shout out to her. =) *waves* Hi, wifey! Rizzle is a gal I met in high school, but we really didn’t get close until college. We hung out almost everyday, but when we graduated and started new endeavors, we began to drift apart - which happens to a lot of our college friendships. Every so often in the following years, we’d text each other, but we didn’t hang out much. I thought I would make that change for her birthday. Since I wasn’t able to make it to her nightclub event, I felt that I owed her and offered to treat her out for dinner because food makes us happy. =P Food was very important to us in college…

We were part of a little group called the “Cherry Poppers” - where the members (about six of us at the time) would introduce each other to new places - whether it be a new store or a new place to eat. Majority of the time, it was a new place to eat, and boy, did we love to get our cherries popped. The day of the dinner, I texted Rizzle to confirm our dinner date. I informed her that this was also my first time here, as it was her’s as well, so she proceeded to respond with, “Both of our cherries will be popped.” Yes, after this many years of friendship (almost 6 years now), we had to continue carrying on with the tradition.


I was panicked that we would not find good parking, but Piperade is in a rather quiet part of the Embarcadero, so we found a spot directly across the street. When we walked in, I noticed tables outside, so the al fresco dining must be popping at lunchtime. What threw me off was that Chef Gerald Hirigoyen was at the host’s podium when we walked in the door. He was even the one who seated us! Who does that anymore? Most chefs I know are stuck in the kitchen and are never seen in the dining room at all unless they are called out to meet someone. I thought that him walking around and just him being present was great.


Olive Oil and Bread
You can say that the basket was empty at the end of the meal. Actually, the basket was more than half-way done even before our first course came. Their olive oil has a green tinge to it which was interesting since most olive oils I use to dip have golden tones to them.


Garlic Soup with Rock Shrimp, Bacon, Bread and Egg
The garlic soup was my first course - sounds like breakfast food, doesn’t it? Bacon. Bread. Egg. This soup is also on the 7x7 Big Eat List. It honestly reminded me of home-made soup. The soup was a combination of egg drop and my own recipe for soupas. I also know a lot of pancit lomi soup recipes that call for lots of garlic, shrimp and egg, but instead of thick noodles, they used chunks of bread here. Because it reminded me of other soups I have had in the past, this was very comforting and familiar to me even though this was my first time ever having it. On the flipside, even though the flavors were reminiscent of lomi and soupas, I don’t think any other restaurant in San Francisco has a soup like this. I am very glad I tried it.


Dungeness Crab “Txangurro”
with Basil, Roasted Pepper, and Apple
I knew that Rizzle loved crab, so this would be good for her. I wasn’t expecting it to look like this because we frankly didn’t know what a “txangurro” was. It was beautiful and reminded me of the seafood salad I had at Gotham Bar and Grill in NYC last year. I love vertical food presentations, ya know. The fruit with the crab was fantastic. This was a cold appetizer, so all the flavors mingled well and were really refreshing.


Chicken Duet with Shiitake Mushrooms
My entrée was absolutely delicious. I was given one breast and one thigh so that we get the best of both worlds. Perfectly cooked. I appreciated that the skin was left on because it was sinfully crispy. Both pieces of chicken were juicy and had so much flavor. The sauce was outstanding. There were real earthy and deep tones from the shiitake mushrooms. I do find them a bit overwhelming, so I didn’t eat all of them. The picture doesn’t do it justice (I didn’t use flash because the dining room is so intimate that flashing lights would have just bothered the other diners). Beautiful dish.


Braised Seafood and Shellfish Stew in Red Pepper Sauce
I was seriously jealous when Rizzle got her entrée. The seafood from the fish chunks, large mussels, clams, prawns, and scallops were so fresh and abundant. The red pepper sauce was so bright. Had some heat, not too much, just a slight hint of it in the background. The sweetness of the seafood was astounding. Definitely something to order when here.


Potato Gratin
I ordered the gratin because there was no starch that came with the meat. I am used to eating rice, pasta, or noodle with my animal. This was perfect. The thiiiiiiiin slices of potato were caressed by the rich cheese. So good. I ate more than half of it. Must have been a kajillion calories in it, but so worth it. The only thing that bugged me about this dish was that we didn’t get it until I was half-way done with my chicken. I think the server forgot to put it in our order, so the cooks did not prepare it. Once I reminded him of it, we received it right away. You know what though? The service here was so polite and gracious that I let it slide. Besides, it was so fantastic gratin. Cheesy, but not too rich. Perfect.


Turron Mousse Cake with Roasted Almonds
I don’t know what “turron” is exactly, but it’s good. The server said that it was “nougat.” I know that they put it in candy bars like Milky Way and 3 Muskateers, so I found it interesting in this mousse. Kind of caramel-ly, kinda nutty, really great. I love mousses like this. I would have done without most of the almonds because I like my desserts to be smooth, but they were great to munch on the side. Very good.


Caramel Custard “Koka”
We were intrigued by the “koka” (what ever that is), but basically we got flan. I was a bit under whelmed because the presentation was almost too simple. They made sure that the apps and entrées were beautiful, but it seemed they kind of half-assed the desserts. I understand that flan is a traditional dessert, but at least put a cute garnish on there somewhere. That’s just me. The flan itself was ok. A bit undercooked in the middle, so I wasn’t too excited. I preferred the mousse over this dessert.

Besides the small disappointment at dessert, everything else was stellar. From the moment Chef Hirigoyen seated to when he bid us adieu, the dinner was memorable for the both of us - especially because we were experiencing his restaurant for the very first time. The service, like I mentioned before, was fantastic and courteous. My glass was never empty, which I very much appreciated. I would love to come back and try out more dishes on the menu. I am still very new to this cuisine and the more I eat it, the more I like it. Piperade is worth your while most definitely.


Back at My Place
I really hope that Rizzle enjoyed herself. We have known each other for so long and have been through some $#!+, and it’s good to know that she is down for me whenever I need a friend. I appreciate her so much so I wanted to do something special for her. I know she visits my blog every so often, so I just want to say, “I LOVE YOU WIFEY! HOPE YOU HAD FUN AT YOUR BIRTHDAY DINNER!”

P.S. When are we going to Saigon Sandwiches? It’s been way too long. =)