NOLA Eats

We spent a few days in New Orleans last month while B had a conference for work.  We stayed at the Riverwalk which turned out to be a convenient, centralized location for the activities and restaurants we were going to.  The weather held up nicely and we didn’t had a bad meal there!

Our first meal was at Mulate’s which was recommended by the concierge.  Very casual spot with live music. We ordered a cup each of crawfish etouffe and jambalaya, Cajun seasoned alligator bites and grilled fish for little S.  Little did we know that the grilled catfish off the kid’s menu was going to seasoned with spicy Cajun flavors!  Nevertheless, everything was really good and a great introduction to this wonderful food city.  Oh, and the bread pudding studded with raisins and covered in vanilla sauce was the best!  We didn’t think that we could finish it because it was so huge…but we were wrong!

The following morning, we spent some time meandering through the streets French Quarter and Jackson Square.  It was still pretty early and although there were quite a few people out and about, it was a very calm vibe.  We decided to wait in the take-out line for beignets at Cafe du Monde, which was so delicious!  Although, they reminded me very much of Thai donuts.  Stella loved them and could almost finish an entire one by herself!  Lunch was at the Gumbo Shop where we tried the seafood and the chicken/sausage gumbos.

While B was at the conference, S and I went to the Audubon Aquarium which was so much fun for little S.  There were exhibits for jellyfish, seahorses, frogs, otters and penguins.  There was a white alligator (not an albino because his eyes were black and he had a black spot on his back).  S liked the puffer fish, petting the sting rays, watching some sort of fish pop in and out of holes and the toddlers play area.  Such a great afternoon!

Dinner was at Pesche, one that was highly anticipated.  Seafood was delicious and not your typical preparations.  Sort of modern Southern I guess.  Not as earth shattering as I expected, but good.  I would try their sister restaurant for sure.

The following morning started off late with beignets (from the Riverwalk location which did not have a line at all) and a walk back to the warehouse district whee S and I had lunch at Cochon Butcher, a popular sandwich and deli spot.  I thoroughly enjoyed my Cubano sandwich but was a little put off that I could not order it with the jalapeno sauce on the side so that I could share it with S.  At any rate, I wouldn’t say it would be worth a special trip but really hit the spot before we headed out to the Children’s Museum which was close by.

The Children’s museum was a dream for S!  She loved the Gulf inspired play fishing boats, the miniature sized grocery store and restaurants and the pioneer area where French quarter in the 1700s came to life with a general store selling wheat, soap and coffee and a courtyard where she could do laundry using a washboards and help nurse some baby pigs.  So so cute!

Our favorite dinner in NOLA was a Bayona, where I had the a WONDERFUL quail salad.  The quail was tempura-fried accompanied by a perfectly balanced sweet and sour vinaigrette.  Little S devoured it too!

The next day was started off with a street car ride to the Garden District where we had a casual lunch at Milkbar, walked quite a ways to Creole Creamery for a well-deserved treat.  Little S got her favorite:  strawberry with rainbow sprinkles.  The grown-ups had a flight including Magnolia and Petit Four.  Dinner was not that impressive at JW Fins.  Too much hype for what it delivered.

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a jaunt through the desert

B and I took advantage of the weekend and the cool winter weather and headed northeast to Joshua Tree.  We were fortunate that the unusual snow storm that dropped 12 inches did not affect our travel plans.  By the beginning of the weekend, all of the roads in the park were reopened.  It was the perfect way to my nearly week-old car to take the 3-hour drive.

The weather was sunny but cool in the low 60s.  The joshua trees seemed to be lined up in perfect rows, almost as if they were cultivated.  We took some easy hikes around Hidden Valley where we saw some other interesting vegetation and weekend warriors climbing the huge boulders.

We drove in a little further to Jumbo Rocks, clusters of giant rocks perfect for climbing and scrambling.  We took the hike, after looking at the ambiguous map, to Skull Rock.  We were not at al impressed, but the nature rail loop was nice.

Our final hike was to the 49 Lost Palms Oasis.  Palm trees and water after hiking through the dry and arid environment is something that you see in cartoons, but the cracks in the earth that allow water release is real.  The oasis was small, but I think that it was well worth seeing something since there aren’t too many around here as far as I know.

A highlight was driving out of the park as the sun set.  Serene, quiet, like being in another world….

We stayed with our friend who relocated to Rancho Mirage a few years ago.  He lives in a beautiful townhouse with a golf course for a backyard.  He drove us around the beautiful and over-the-top neighborhood before bringing us to Woody’s for DELICIOUS burgers!  The front of the restaurant was a simple burger joint with just a counter running along the kitchen.  Behind the counters, a jazz quartet was setting up for their first set.  The band was great, playing classics like Take 5 and Cantaloop as well as others that I didn’t recognize.  My music minor came in handy when our conversation moved toward blues influence in rock and opera, all over my Western burger-Angus burger topped with coleslaw, onion ring and BBQ sauce 🙂

After a day of driving, hiking and seeing sights, we were looking forward to a hot shower and the wonderfully comfy bed.  We slept for a solid 10 hours!  What a great weekend!

nothing sleepy about Snooze!

Today, I am enjoying a much-deserved day off after working through the New Year’s holiday for the past 6 days.  I slept in, then met an old friend visiting from LA.  We met for brunch at a new spot in Hillcrest called Snooze.  The decor was a fresh take on a 60s retro coffee shop, playing he latest modern rock hits.  The space was open and airy with white, orange and grey accents.

I was intrigued by all the sweet and savory breakfast items including pineapple upside side pancakes, homemade granola and creative eggs benedict choices.  We took a seat at the counter and was greeted by a very cute server who made my cappucino.  We asked for his recommendations, and let us in on the secret “Sinful” pancakes.  He also said that we could order half orders and individual pancakes, so this is the best place for the indecisive like my friend and me!

We ordered a sampling of wo different eggs Benedict, Sticky Bun French Toast and the Sinful Pancakes-a fluffy buttermik pancake with chocolate chips topped with white chocolate anglaise, cinnamon butter, nuts and bacon-maple syrup.  BEST PANCAKE EVER!  They were fluffly and suprisingly not too sweet.  I would have taken a picture, but they were gone in a flash!

It was so great to catch up with my friend, and our wonderful meal topped it off!  This will be my new go to place for brunch with friends.  Unfortunately, it is already gaining popularity and is difficult to get a seat right away on the weekends

girls reunited!

I had the best weekend spending it with three of my bridesmaids back in the City.  We reminisced as we strolled through the Cal campus, caught up on life and love, explored one of my favorite parts of town and tried some new eats in the best city ever!  What was so great is that even though we hadn’t seen each other in over a year, we talked and chatted as if we had seen each other a week ago.

We started the weekend waiting over a hour for a seat at the counter for brunch at Plow in a neighborhood I had never really been to.  We traded plates so that we could share and try the lemon ricotta pancakes, fluffy French toast and a soft egg scramble.  We then drove over to the Ferry Building and walked along the Embarcadero and caught a glimpse of the planes flying overhead for Fleet Week.  We caught the Filbert Steps toward Telegraph Hill for another view of the City.  On the way back down, we cute across through the Levi’s headquarters, a beautiful building with floor to ceiling windows and warm brick.  It housed a small museum that had jeans from different eras starting from the 1880s.

Dinner at Delfina was a culinary adventure, at least for me.  We ordered mildly seasoned grilled sardines, crostini at green pea, white bean and rustic chicken liver pate.  The pastas were delicious including a square spaghetti with breadcrumbs and roasted cauliflower, spaghetti with squid ink, gnocchi with ragu and trips in tomato sauce.  Dinner with accompanied with an Italian red: Carmignano – Capezzana 2003 Toscana.

We saved room for Bi-Rite ice cream.  It’s apparently the new place for gourmet ice cream.  We shared scoops of ginger, salted caramel, honey lavender (my favorite) and strawberry balsamic.

After dim sum the next morning, we headed to the East Bay and tried to remember all the names of the buildings on our old campus and visited the new East Asian library.  A walk down Telegraph surprised us.  Although establishments we remembered, like Espresso Express who made bulgogi sandwiches, Musical Offering-the classical music shop and cafe in one, Bancroft Clothing Co, Avant Card, Jenny’s Healthy cafe, Le Petit Cheval, La Burrita, Fat Slice, Blondie’s, Yogurt Park, Ned’s Bookstore, Rasputin’s, Amoeba, Cafe Milano, Steve’s BBQ, Thai Basil, IB Hoagies and Durant Cafe were still there, so many commercialized places replaced the old shops and restaurants.  BUT….Top Dog was still there to serve up Lemon Chick, Bratwurts and Kielbasas!  AND we were also able to get a GIANT tossed salad of beans, avocado, tomato, carrots topped with poppy seed dressing just as I remember it (but sans sprouts)!

The weekend was great to listen and talk about relationships since we all in different stages of relationships.  Once again, I felt very lucky that I found my perfect guy and happily married.  Hopefully they didn’t mind hearing my perspective as a married person.  It was a wonderful girl’s weekend, and I really hope that we do an SD version very very soon!  But nevertheless, I was so very happy to be back at home snuggled up in bed with B on Sunday night 🙂

To the City of Roses!

B and I took a advantage of the Southwest Airlines airfare deals and took a spent a long weekend in Portland.  Our timing could have been a little better given the local forest fires that obstructed our view of Mt Hood from Mirror Lake and the thick fog that struck the coast after a weekend of hot weather.  But we still had a great time dining about the town!

Our weekend started enjoying sandwiches on fresh bread with homemade treats-a bear claw and peach-blueberry tart in a rustic fold-over crust at the Pearl District’s Pearl Bakery.  A short stroll in the area uncovered a cool revived urban area with great tax-free shopping with the famous Powell’s Books, Anthropologie, North Face, Sur la Table and Whole Foods among remnants of the older businesses, mainly car repair shops.

A quick drive up to the International Test Garden housed the biggest hydrangea plant I had ever seen…over 6 feet tall!

The downtown area was filled with a very urban and individual vibe.  Intellectual techies mesh with tattooed free spirits and tree loving outdoorsmen.  What is so cool is that could be describing only one person!  I love how this little city feels so accepting of different walks of life-and the food scene!

Andina, a Nouveau Peruvian restaurant, was a wonderful dinner for our first night in town.  They made the most DELICIOUS drink made with passion fruit and and habanero pepper.  Salty and sweet at first with a fruit fiery aftertaste.  YUM!

A beautiful day to drive the Columbia Gorge

We spent the day exploring the Mt Hood area, Columbia Gorge and Multonah Falls.  The falls was our first stop off the historic byway that wound through the lush vegetation.  The two cascading waterfalls had a short paved hike from the base to a bridge to the upper falls.

Multonah Falls

We stopped for lunch in a little town called Mt Hood for lunch.  We had some surprisingly good sandwiches in this bar/restaurant, all served with tater tots!  I forgot how delicious they are!

The friendly pharmacy in Hood City

Mirrored Lake sans Mt Hood

With stomachs full of lunch, we continued on to Mt Hood.  Unfortunately for us, the local forest fires impeded our view of the mighty mountain.  Our hike to Mirror Lake only mirrored the trees around it.

We returned to the city to have our favorite dinner of the trip at Little Bird.  The French bistro was beautiful, urban and cozy.  Metallic ceiling panels, blue walls and modern rock music made the place feel cool and low key.  We enjoyed one the the best beet salads I’ve had with golden and red beets and crushed pistacio, a gnocchi dish with a very complex texture and flavors but light vegetable ragu.  I had a perfectly grilled whole trout. So simple so delicious!  I think I got Binh hooked on blancmache (French panna cotta) after enjoying their version.

Today’s Specials at Tasty Bird

Brunch at Tasty N Sons was worth an early rise.  My favorite dish was the french toast made with a think dense bread served with local berry sauce and whipped cream.  I totally scarfed my half down.  The Potatoes Bravo were savory rich but light at the same time.  A touch of acid from the tomato and lemon sauce really made the difference.

A dress shop in an old bus right outside Tasty ‘n Sons

On our last day, we headed to the Coast.  A local who pumped our gas recommended that we tried to make our way to Manzanita, his favorite beach town where you actually get the beach to yourself.  A great thing about Portland is how close it is to to nature.

The shore of Cannon Beach on Highway 1

Octopus tree

Toro Bravo was the perfect last meal to a relaxing weekend.  Tapas of lamb chops, Tuscany beans, garlic jumbo shrimp and olive oil cake (YUM!)  My favorite part of the dinner was stopping Binh from eating a big glob of thick whipped cream.  He thought that it was ice cream!

All in all, Portland is a foodie’s dream.  If only I had more days to check out the food truck culture!  The weather was great and the scenery was so green and so so lush!  Seemed like a great college town with a laid back yet sophisticated vibe.  Don’t know if we’ll make it back to Portland anytime soon, but I’m glad that we give Seattle’s weird little brother a try.

dumplings for dinner

Juicy bundles of sweet broth and pork know as shiao lun bao are hard to come by in SD, but we heard that Dumpling Inn had some of the best in town.  We ordered the steamed dumplings along with boiled shrimp and cilantro dumplings for dinner to see if we agreed.  This hole in the wall has the charm of your typical Chinese ‘fast food’ complete with plastic table cloths and odd colored padded chairs.  All that it was lacking was the mismatched collection of dishes.  But what’s important are the dumplings right?!  I thought that they were tasty, but just not as juicy as some I’ve had in say, Shanghai or NYC…but I guess that’s a little unfair!  We would likely visit again when the mood for dumpling strikes again…

summer kick-off

 I had to work the entire Memorial Day weekend last week, and even though we managed to get out on Memorial Day for a quick late afternoon walk around the USS Midway and Seaport Village, it didn’t feel like the long weekend that it was.

I was so excited to finally have 2 days off in a row after a 12 day stretch. B and I woke up relatively early. He started his day with a jog and I started mine by watching reruns of The Wonder Years-Kevin asked Becky Slater to go steady with him to make Winnie jealous. We then headed out to the Midway.

The Midway is an aircraft carrier that was a part of our US defense system from WWII to the Gulf War in 1991. We explored the tunnel-like maze through living quarters, war rooms and meeting areas. The highlight was the landing deck where several military planes and choppers were on display.

I was famished after climbing staircase after staircase, so we took an early dinner at Blue Water on India St. I had heard about it on the Food Network and thought we’d try the fish tacos. For 8 bucks, I enjoyed a very generous swordfish and halibut taco. The corn tortillas were from El Indio’s down the street, the veggies were fresh and best of all the fish was delicious, perfectly grilled and a very meaty portion. B was very happy that we tried them!

I stop to Home Depot and a couple of discount stores in search of materials for a indoor garden project completed our outing. We made little terrariums filled with succulents for our kitchen and my office. They turned out to be so cute! B definitely has an artistic talent!