Like a Drumstick

I got bored...then inspired.

Haha!

Enjoy.

Pouring gravy on my rice, like a blizzard.
When we eat, we do it right, eat the gizzard.
Dippin' ketchup on the side, at picnics.
Now I'm feelin' so fried like a drumstick.
Like a drumstick.
Like a drumstick.
Now I'm feelin' so fried like a drumstick.

- Fried Eats Movement

Word to your Nanay!

The Chocolate Adventure Party by Scharffen Berger

Event: The Chocolate Adventure Contest
Venue: Orson Restaurant
Date: October 7, 2010
Dining Partner: Bub

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

If you are like me, a day would seem wrong if I didn’t have some.

Bub and I were lucky enough to attend The Chocolate Adventure Contest hosted by Scharffen Berger Chocolates, Tuttifoodie, and Tablehopper. This annual event happens right before the BlogHer Food conference, which was scheduled for October 8 and 9 this year.

The event was held at Orson Restaurant in San Francisco. Orson, as many of you know, is owned and cheffed by the lovely and eccentric Elizabeth Falkner. She has been seen on the Food Network showcasing her unusual, but delicious, desserts and cakes.


Chocoholic’s Dream Come True

Adventure Ingredients
The contest is open to the public and the rules are simple: the audacious bakers (YOU) have to make a cupcake that contains one or more of the 14 special ingredients (listed above), known as the “adventure” ingredients, as well has Scharffen Berger Chocolate.

The prize?

$10,000!

Go for it! The entry deadline is January 2, 2011!

- Check here for details -

When we checked-in, we were given a blindfold (ohhhh la la) and told about the special happenings like the unique cocktails at the bar and chocolate tastings.

I headed straight for the bar!

FYI: the bar at Orson is just gorgeous. What a fabulous place to hang out for happy hour after a long day at work.

There were four cocktails to choose from, ranging in ingredients from molasses to beets to brown sugar.

I knew exactly what I was ordering: the Holey Mole which consisted of tequila, 4-chili chocolate mole, stout beer, and the reason why we were here, Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate.

Hey, if it has anything to do with tequila, I'm there, mos def!


Chef Falkner’s Cupcakes
I couldn’t wait to taste them!

The Great Mixologist Creating My Drink

As if the chocolate sauce wasn’t enough...
how about a shaving of the luscious chocolate?

Me and Marcia Rhymes with Garcia
aka The Hopstress
Thanks for letting us crash the party, Marcia! Check out her website HERE, where you can sign up for her e-column.


Holey Mole
Call it dessert in a glass.
Call it sweet.
Call it spicy.
Call it innovative.

It was awesome.

From Top to Bottom:

Fried Chicken with Habenero BBQ and Blue Cheese Sauces

Beef Tartare

2009 Winner of Savory Category:
Smoky-Cocoa Dusted Pommes Frites with Peanut Cumin Dipping Sauce
Created by Edwina Gadsby of Montana

From Top to Bottom

Goat Cheese Balls

Fried Pork Wontons
My drink was yummy and the hors d’oeurves were delightful. Now, on to the tasting!


The 2010 Adventure Ingredients
Some of these ingredients, like the adzuki bean or bee pollen, would seem strange going in a cupcake, but that’s the adventure!


Blind Tasting Game
This was one of the fun activities. The ladies behind the table hands each of the players a spoonful of an Adventure Ingredient - they could have been from this year or the previous year. Sounded like a Top Chef challenge! We were up for it!


Bub Getting Ready!
Let me tell you, this game was tough. There were 3 rounds for our game and I only got 1 right! What killed me was that they wouldn’t tell me what I did get correct. Urrr! It was a lot of fun, though!

What was a real treat was to try Chef Falkner’s cupcake creations. She is such an awesome and imaginative chef. She also is chef and owner of Citizen Cake! Who wouldn’t want to try out her cupcakes?


The Mystery Cupcake
I honestly don’t know what went into this cupcake. I can guess beets only because of the pretty pinkish-magenta color of the frosting. Otherwise, I am stumped. It was delicious…whatever was in there.


Chocolate Pub Cupcakes
created by Chef Elizabeth Falkner
This cupcake contained buttermilk, stout beer, coconut butter, molasses, sweetened condensed milk, Meyer lemon, chili peppers. All I can say is wow, and the only reason why I know this cupcake had all those components was because everyone got a recipe card for it. Talk about ambitious!

Scharffen Berger Chocolate cupcake with Molasses Fluff Filled and Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting topped with Peanuts Seasoned with Lemon Zest, Tabasco, and Ancho Chilies.


The Gift Bags
Each Bag Had a Container of Saffron in It…Dope!
Bub and I had a great time meeting new people, and of course, eating all the chocolate we can! I hope you get to enter the contest or experiment with your own recipes at home. I don’t know if my cupcakes would beat anything that Chef Falkner has created, but trying it out would be a lot of fun. Again, thank you Miss Marcia of Tablehopper, Scharffen Berger, Tuttiefoodie, and the staff of Orson for a fun evening.

xoxo,
Jo and Bub

Now THAT'S What I Call Pinoy Street Food

Restaurant: Intramuros Restaurant
Address: 101 Brentwood Drive at El Camino Real, SSF, CA
Cuisine: Pinoy Street Food
Date: 10-10-10
Dining Partners: Bub, Bub’s Parents, Albs, and a whole bunch of Filipino people

Street food is making a statement EVERYWHERE! You see it on the streets of San Francisco. People are carting, tabling, trucking, even biking to serve hungry patrons. We even saw a show dedicated to it on the Food Network. More and more events are popping up, all focusing on street food. Here in the Bay Area, we are lucky to have food carts/trucks who serve Filipino food, and they are:

@adobohobo @hapasf @lumpiacart @malinumnum @mrarrozcaldo @senorsisig

They have introduced a whole group of people to the food of my homeland, the Philippines. This is great because a lot of these people wouldn’t know how to get it otherwise. Majority of the Filipino restaurants are down on the Peninsula or across the Bay in Vallejo, Hayward, and Union City. Eating Filipino food from these carts/trucks is fun and convenient for SF citizens.

Many people, especially ones born and raised in PI, loved the idea of these carts, but wondered if there was ever going to be a cart that served the real street food they had at home: okoy (fried sweet potato and shrimp fritters), betamax (skewered-coagulated pork blood), IUD (grilled chicken intestine), etc. Because the food served here in the States must be cart-friendly (and profitable), the notion of that quickly became an afterthought…

UNTIL THIS CAME OUT:


That’s right! Some of the Philippines’ most beloved, and albeit most feared, foods would be served at Intramuros Restaurant. There was no way I was going to miss this. This brought me back to my Philippine Trip back in 2009. The night before we left to go back to the States, we walked around our town square and I saw how awesome the street food scene was.

The set-up at Intramuros was amazing. It was buffet-style, so for a flat fee of $20, you got to eat all you can from open to close. I know SOMEONE who stayed there the WHOLE time! *ahem*Albs*ahem* You’ll get to see him in a little bit.

Are you hungry? You better be…


Top: Dinuguan - Pork Blood Stew
Bottom: Puto - Sweet Rice Cakes

The INFAMOUS stew. I love it!

Top: Pancit Luglug - aka Pancit Palabok - Thin Rice Noodles
Tossed in a Thick Shrimp-Based Sauce
Middle: Lumpia Toge - Fried Rolls with Mung Bean Sprouts
Bottom: Pancit Bihon - Thin Stir-Fried Rice Noodles

Arroz Caldo with Accoutrements
Chicken Rice Porridge Infused with Ginger
Served with Lemon, Scallions, and Fried Garlic

Fried Foods Galore!
Top: Chicharon Bulaklak - Crispy Pork Intestine (more precisely the omentum)
Bottom: Chicharon Baboy - Fried Pork Rinds

Fish Balls - Made with Ground Fish

Sawsawan (Dips) for the Fish Balls
Chili-Infused Vinegar, Soy and Vinegar, and Brown Gravy

We Love Food that Comes on a Stick
Fish Balls, Pork Isaw (Grilled Pork Instestine), Grilled Corn and BBQ Pork

“Adidas” - Grilled Chicken Feet

Kwek Kwek - Deep Fried Quail Eggs
Photo by: Filipeanut

Balut - Boiled Fertilized Duck Eggs

Cheers!
Amniotic Fluid Shots with Albs of Filipeanut
Photo courtesy of Filipeanut

Bubs Likes Balut Shots Too!
But he wouldn’t eat anything inside =P

Top: Buko Pie - Pie Made with Young Coconut Meat
Bottom: Banana-Que and Boiled Peanuts

Top: Banana-Que: - Skewered Sweet Bananas Topped with Coconut
Bottom: Bibingka Cups - Rice Flour Cakes Topped with Butter and Cheese
Cashew Tarts - Mini Pies with Sweet Filling and Cashew Topping

Top: Champarado - Sweet Porridge Made with Rice and Chocolate
Middle: Maja Mais - Thick Custard Made with Coconut Milk and Corn
Karyoka - Fried and Candied Orbs of Glutinous Rice Flour
Bottom: Ginataan Bilo - Warm Dessert Soup Made with Coconut Milk,
Sweetened Yams, Ube, and Mini Tapioca

To the Right: Cassava Cake - Sticky Cake Made with Cassava,
Coconut, and Evaporated Milk
Center: Mangos with Bagoong - aka Salted Shrimp Fry

Left: Sago’t Gulaman - Refreshment of Caramelized Sugar,
Tapioca Balls, and Gelatin
Right: Halo Halo - Ice, Fruit, Filipino Rice Crispies, Sweet Beans,
Evaporated Milk, and Ube Ice Cream meant to be “mix-mixed”

Halo Halo Cups ready to be Prepared
I brought Bub’s parents who are not Filipino and they said the food was delicious. It was actually a lot of fun describing each dish was to them. Albs told me that Barry, the manager of Intramuros, said this would be an annual event. I honestly wish it would happen more than that. =) Awesome foodie event and I hope you got to try it!

xoxo,
Jo

PS: Want to learn more about Pinoy Street Food? Here is an awesome Filipino Street Food dictionary. Enjoy!

I'm a Failure!

I haven't blogged in close to 2 weeks and I'm feeling like such a failure! However that doesn't mean I wasn't doing anything delicious in the meanwhile.

I attended the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure party hosted by Tablehopper at Orson, BlogHer Food at the InterContinental Hotel, and Filipino Street Food Festival at Intramuros Restaurant in a matter of 4 days. I know I'm nut-so. I also managed to work my day job and do some wedding planning, too!

To say the least, I'm EXHAUSTED!

I'm hoping to get a VISUAL blog up soon, so thank you for your continued patience!

xoxo,
Jo

Pizzeria Picco - Bub’s Favorite Pizza?

Restaurant: Pizzeria Picco
Address: 316 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA, 94939
Phone Number: (415) 945-8900
Cuisine: Pizza, Italian
Date Last Visited: October 2, 2010
Dining Partner: Bub

Don’t you just hate it when it looks like this:


The Golden Gate Bridge in the Fog
San Francisco has the strangest weather patterns. One week is 80+ degrees out and the next, it’s foggy and drizzly. When you leave San Francisco and go 15 miles in any direction, the skies are blue and the temperature are 15 degrees higher. When Bub suggested we go “out of town” for an afternoon I was all for it, even if it was just across the Bay to Marin County.

Pizzeria Picco is in the beautiful town of Larkspur. I am so used to “Downtown” as being busy and fast-paced, like in San Francisco, but the same term here is quite different. Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur’s main drag, is busy but no where near SF’s. Daly City’s is probably even busier. I just remember saying, “I wouldn’t mind living here…” while we were driving into town. The weather is gorgeous. The folks are just plain nice. The scenery is lovely with the lush, tree-covered hills.

We got to the pizzeria, and there was parking right in front. We noticed that majority of the diners were sat outside. Not that I mind since it was so nice out. You can sit at the counter inside and watch them make your meal, but there were only 3-5 seats, probably even less since we weren’t allowed inside the building.

Burrata
Arugula, Roasted Beets, De Varo Olive Oil, Sea Salt, ACME Batard Crostini
I love burratta and if it’s on the menu, I am getting it. Something about it’s fresh, creamy texture, and a flavor that is so lush, but clean and refreshing. The peppery arugula salad was a good counter to the cheese. The roasted beets were perfect and sweet. Simple and delicious.


The Pizza of the Day
Butternut Squash, Sausage, Peppers, and Three Cheeses
As we were looking on the menu, we were set on ordering the “Specialized” which had Hobb’s pepperoni, house made sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil…then our server mentioned this pizza. We just had to try it since it would most likely not be here at a future visit. It sounded like the perfect “Fall” pizza.

Check out the full menu HERE.


As we were eating, we enjoyed the blistered crust, typical of a good Naples-style pizza. Then Bub said something I never thought I would hear him say, “This is how pizza is SUPPOSED to taste like.” Was it really happening? Has Bub finally graduated from the everyday phone-an-order-have-it-delivered-to-your-door-in-under-30-minutes-or-less pizzas? Okay, maybe not, but just hearing him say that was “wow.”

This is how pizza is supposed to taste like. Mind you, there was no tomato sauce or pepperoni or tons of artificial cheese product. We had tender slices of sweet butternut squash accompanied by their house made sausage and a trio of good cheese. The first two were fresh mozzarella (which we all should know) and Crescenza, a soft mild cheese, which acted almost like the pizza sauce as it melted into a molten layer on the crust. The third cheese escapes me, and since it was the pizza of the day, it wasn’t printed on the menu. The type of peppers also escapes me, but don’t fret, I’ll find it out for you! Bub said this was his favorite pizza of all time and even said he had to bring his dad here. That says a lot about his pizza. Fantastic!


Straus Dairy Soft Serve in Vanilla Bean
with De Varo Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt
I just had to have this dessert. My friends @teenycake and @nom_nom_nom_nom turned me on to it when I tasted a cupcake from @teenycake inspired by this unique concoction. At first, I was skeptical. Ice cream and oil. Hmmmm. Then we took our first bite. It’s unusual at first, but like your first crush on someone, it’s a strange sensation and then you just find yourself falling for it. Each bite got better and better. The salt was a surprising taste, but went well with the ice cream, which was creamy as can be. The olive oil was fruity and just fabulous. Everything about this dessert was remarkable. It’s one of those desserts that makes you wonder, “why didn’t I think of that?” Consider me inspired, as well.

Pizzeria Picco was just what we needed. We hardly eat al fresco because the weather in our neighborhood is awful most of the time. It was a nice change of pace for us and a nice way to get away…but but…the food. The ice cream. Must we really drive all the way to Marin for it?

Luckily for us SF folks, the wonderful people at Picco opened up a joint in the City, so that we don’t have to cross the bridge to have some of their fabulous food. The new restaurant, which just opened this August, is called Zero Zero and is located on Folsom and 4th. Very easy to get to if you take public transportation! Thank goodness! I can now have my ice cream, olive oil, and sea salt dessert and eat it, too! Check out Zero Zero’s dessert menu. Can we just say: to die for? Build your own desserts? Count me in! Ciao!

xoxo,
Jo

The Boiling Crab - Happy 24th, Cuzzin Star!!

Restaurant: The Boiling Crab
Address: 1631 East Capitol Expressway, San Jose, CA
Phone Number: (408) 532-6147
Cuisine: Seafood
Date Last Visited: September 25, 2010
Dining Partner: Bub, SAM, Cuzzin Run-Day, Jyper Diaper BQ, Cuzzin Star, Shannon Girl

Oh, the Boiling Crab…

Whenever someone brought it up, I would roll my eyes and stop listening. Was it really THAT good. Do we REALLY have to drive an hour away to get good seafood. Honestly, I thought of myself as a spoiled (and lazy) brat who would not dare peel a shrimp. Crab? Forget it. There was no way I was going to get my hands dirty and smelly. And those corny bibs! Seriously?! Prior to this visit, I didn’t care for the Boiling Crab at all, but people kept bringing it up and how we SHOULD go. I finally gave in, and it took my BCF’s birthday in order for me to get in our all leather-interior car with Bub during one of the hottest weekends this summer and drive all the way to San Jose. Did I mention the wait? I was told the wait was going to be an hour to an hour and a half. Psh…only for my cousin.


So we get there and we were told and hour and a half. Go thing there is a Target and Tapioca Express nearby to pass the time. They did however call our party only at the hour mark. Not bad! We were sat at a table lined with butcher paper. Why? No plates. No utensils, unles you were eating the gumbo or rice. Salt and pepper are served in plastic dip cups. No napkin dispenser, rather a roll or two of paper towels. Water (at $0.25) are served in plastic cups with tops (because you don’t want anything falling in your water). Then a bunch of cut limes are poured onto the table. To keep things organized, we each wrote our order down.


- 1 Pound Each of Crawfish and Shrimp -
How to order:

1) Select your seafood:
Crawfish, king crab legs, blue crab, Dungeness crab, lobster - all sold by the pound and by season
Clams, oysters, and shrimp are sold at a flat rate
2) Select your seasoning:
Their Original Rajun Cajun OR Lemon butter OR Garlic Butter OR The Whole Sha-Bang which is a combination of all the sauces
3) Select your heat level
Non Spicy OR Mild OR Medium OR XXX
Note: The Whole Sha-Bang has its own spice blend, so if your tongue is timid, but want the Whole Sha-Bang, choose the Non Spicy heat level


- Let the Peeling Begin -
1 Pound Not Spicy in the Whole Sha-Bang Seasoning
Please note that because we had to use our hands, I don’t have many pix of us eating. C’mon, can’t get the camera dirty! Let me just say that The Whole-Shabang sauce is INCREDIBLE! My mouth is watering just thinking of it.


- Bub’s Rice and Sausages -
Poor Bub. He’s allergic to seafood, but we peer-pressured him into going. There are non-seafood items on the menu like the sausages here and the wings which are coming up. There are also sweet potato fries, potatoes, and rice for sides.


- A Whole Dungeness Crab -
Sweet, succulent meat

- A Dozen Raw Oysters -

- Fried Shrimp Basket -
served with Cajun Fries

- An Order of Cajun Fries -

- 10 Cajun Fried Chicken Wings -

- Fried Calamari Basket -
Unlike Shrimp Basket, Fries Sold Separately

- Gumbo with Rice -
Just okay for me. I prefer @GumboCart’s more!

- We Be Grubbin' -
The table was full of food and everything was up for grabs! Such a fun way to eat. And YES, the bibs are NEEDED. Unless you want a collection of shells, garlic, and other goodies stuck to your clothes.


- Sweet Buttered Corn -
even better when dipped in the Whole Sha-Bang Sauce
After taking a breather, we decided to order more. The corn was awesome!

- Our Second Serving of Peel and Eat Shrimp -
Couldn’t get enough of these! I want to replicate the sauce!

- Our Table After the Carnage -
So after this experience, my mind was completely changed.

I HEART THE BOILING CRAB!

The surprising thing is that Bub tested his stomach and even ate three crawfish and a little crab! He said if he got whoozy that he’s stop, but he liked it a lot! He even says he wants to go back! Shoot! I want to go back too! I loved it here because it reminded me of Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Oahu, Hawaii. This is the first time in a long while where I have eaten shrimp that I did not mind peeling. Eating like this with family is so much fun. Lots of laughs. Well, lots of silence also because we were too busy stuffing our faces! I am so happy I got the chance to eat here.

Happy Birthday, Terri Star!
I love you!

- It all starts and ends with family -
The Wong-Blake-Bequio-Kwanhull-Malabanan-Murphy-Boston Family
xoxo,
Jo