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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

America's Cup

I know nothing about sailing but my husband is an avid sailor. He's done 2 transatlantic solo sails. He wanted to see the America's Cup races so down to San Francisco we went.

 
America's Cup Park is a free public access park located at Pier 27/29.

 
It's a nice open area with inflatable beds & bean bag chairs. There's a large-screen tv, games, Ping-Pong table and shops/food vendors. The only downside is the lack of shade.
 
 
The other America's Cup venue is located at the America's Cup Village at Marina Green. There's a great view of Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and the racing. The America's Cup is on display for limited times for the next 2 months. Apparently, the Cup travels in its own First Class seat. I guess you wouldn't want to lose it in the baggage hold of the plane.

 
We saw the Louis Vuitton Cup race between Emirates Team New Zealand and Italy's Luna Rossa. Emirates lost its jib halfway into the race. They simply cut the jib and went on to win by 2 minutes 19 seconds. It was impressive to watch how fast they travel and even more impressive when the boats were actually gliding over the water.
  
 
After the racing, they had a trivia contest. I was lucky enough to have my number drawn. My husband refused to go in my place so I had to get up on the stage and make a fool of myself. I didn't know when the next America's Cup was scheduled (does anyone even know?) or how old Spithill was when he won the America's Cup. It didn't matter because they still gave me a baseball cap signed by the Artemis Skipper Iain Percy & Helmsman Nathan Outteridge.
 
 
 
2013 07 21
 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

El Porteno

El Porteno has a stall inside the Ferry Building. They serve Argentinian empanadas. I didn't have enough stomach room to try one but I had space for an Alfajor.

 


Alfajores de Dulce de Leche--$2 each. This was delicious. The cookie was almost like a shortbread but crumbled like a Mexican Tea Cookie. The dulce de leche filling wasn't overwhelmingly sweet.



2013 07 20

Monday, July 29, 2013

Recchiuti Chocolates

I initiated my husband to the art of noshing. While at the Ferry Building, we stopped at Recchiuti Chocolates.

 

 
We tried a Fleur de Sel Caramel--1 piece cost $0.95. It's a small piece and I thought it had an off taste. It was a little bitter and the bitterness didn't come from the dark chocolate. I still prefer the salted caramel from Mendocino Chocolates.




2013 07 20

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Roli Roti

The last time I went noshing in San Francisco, my husband was out of town. We went to San Francisco to see the America's Cup activities and stopped at the Ferry Building to have the Porchetta Sandwich from the Roli Roti truck.

 
Porchetta Sandwich--$9.50. It's a delicious pork sandwich with onion marmalade, arugula and rosemary salt. My husband loved it and he's hooked now!

 
I decided to try their rotisserie chicken as well. 1/2 chicken for $7. It was flavorful but not as good as the porchetta sandwich. Next time, I'll stick to the porchetta.
 
 
 
2013 07 20

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Oliver's Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

I needed to get a birthday cake for my husband. I didn't have time to drive to the South Bay to get a Chocolate on Chocolate from the Prolific Oven so I stopped at Oliver's in Santa Rosa to see what they had. Oliver's is a specialty grocery store and there's a location at 560 Montecito Center.

 
This is a 6-inch Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake for $22.99. This was beautiful but I still prefer Prolific Oven. The Devil's Food cake was slightly dry.
 
 
 
2013 07 17

Friday, July 26, 2013

Thursday Night Dinner

Another Thursday night at Flavor Bistro. Dinner & wine pairing is still $24.95.
 


Gamberoni Con Couscous--Grilled Jumbo Prawns, Black Olive-Arugula Couscous Served with Warm Shallot & Herb Salsa paired with 2012 Starmont Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
  
 
Ravioli D'Anatra--Filled with Duck Mousse Served with Roasted Mushroom-endive Confit Topped with Crispy Herb Butter & Parmigiano-Reggiano paired with 2011 La Follette Pinot Noir, North Coast

 
Maiale Al Forno--Slow Cooked Pork Medallion Served in Sugo Di Brasato Flavored with Pancetta, Cannellini Beans & Garlic-Herb Gremolata paired with 2010 St. Francis Winery & Vineyards "Old Vines" Zinfandel, Sonoma County
  
 
Crostata Di Ciliegie--Cherry Galette Garnished with Mascarpone Vanilla Custard paired with 2011 Navarro Vineyards Riesling Cluster Select Late Harvest, Anderson Valley



2013 07 24

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Ledford House

Our vacation rental housekeeper was on vacation so we needed to clean our vacation rental Sanctuary By the Sea before the next guests arrived. We drove up to Albion for the day and had dinner at the Ledford House after we finished cleaning.

 
The homemade bread is delicious--crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The marinated olives were tasty as well.

 
Appetizer Special for the night--baked oysters. We got 1/2 dozen--3 with bacon & breadcrumbs and 3 with garlic butter & pastis for $14. It was too heavy on the breadcrumbs. I still liked the oysters at GW Fin better.

 
The Bistro Dinner for the night included a green salad with green beans. It had a nice Dijon vinaigrette.

 
Lamb Stew was the entrée for the 3-course Bistro Dinner. This was tender. I thought the sauce was too sweet but my husband liked it.

 
I ordered the Mussels Provencal--$19. The sauce had garlic, parsley, olive oil, white wine and lemon and tt was delicious.

 
The dessert for the 3-course Bistro Dinner included blackberry mousse, chocolate mousse or apple tarte tatin. The Bistro Dinner is a good value at $30.
 
 
 
2013 07 17 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Pasta Pomodoro

A friend was visiting from outside the country and she wanted to eat at Pasta Pomodoro. There are multiple locations in the Bay Area--we visited the one at 300 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. I'd never eaten there but it wasn't too bad for a chain restaurant

 
Bread with pesto dip. The bread was warm and the pesto dip had a nice vinegary zing.

 
 Calories are listed on the menu which is a dangerous thing. There were a few things that looked tempting but at 1200 calories, I wasn't about to order it. The Pomodoro Express lunch menu ($8.95) offered some items with reasonable calorie counts. The lunch menu included a bowl of minestrone for 206 calories or Caesar salad (309 calories) or Insalata Mixta (290 calories).

 
One of the choices on the lunch menu was Rigatoni Bolognese--380 calories. This was al dente and had a nice sauce. It was just the right amount of food too.

 
Pollo Griglia--$12.50. Fresh grilled chicken breast marinated in fresh garlic, thyme and lemon, served with sautéed faro--698 calories.
 
 
Chicken Marsala--$14.25. Fresh chicken breast pan-roasted with mushroom and marsala wine sauce, served with sautéed kale--718 calories.



2013 07 14

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Marie Callender's Fresh Peach Pie

I grew up on Marie Callender's pies. They have locations all over the SF Bay Area.

 

 
In the summer, they have fresh strawberry and fresh peach pies for $14.99. The fresh peach is my favorite. The peach is ripe and the glaze is delicious. The crust is the best



2013 07 13

Monday, July 22, 2013

Taste Buds

We went for lunch at Taste Buds and they had a buffet for $9.99 on the weekends and $8.99 Tue-Fri. The restaurant is located at 673 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale.

 
Lunch choices included potato bajji (potatoes dipped in chickpea flour batter & deep fried), tandoori chicken, fish fry, aloo gobi (potatoes & cauliflower cooked in spices), paneer butter masala, butter chicken, goat curry, corn saag, chicken or vegetarian dum biryani. It was a nice variety and pretty tasty.

 
I love the pappadam--lentil crackers.

 
Freshly made naan is brought to the table.
 
 
 
2013 07 13

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Mission Peak

My husband wanted to train for his upcoming backpacking trip and decided to climb Mission Peak in Fremont. He dragged me along.

Mission Peak is located off Stanford Avenue. Take the Mission Boulevard exit from I-680 and turn right at Stanford Avenue. There is a parking lot but it fills quickly on the weekends. We got there at 8 am on a Saturday and we had to park on the street about 1/4 mile away.

It's a 3+ mile hike from the parking lot to Mission Peak at 2512 feet high. It's a dirt trail and there is NO shade along the way. It took us 3 hours to make the climb and return and I'm not a fast hiker. There was a woman who passed me and she was twirling a hoola hip all the way up.

The summit offers a nice view of the entire bay but it is crowded. Reminds me of Yosemite in the summer. There was a line of hikers all the way up the trail.




2013 07 13

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Jang Su Jang

I was in the mood for Korean food and turned to Yelp to see what was recommended. Jang Su Jang was highly ranked. It's located at 3561 El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, next to the Korean food mall.

 
The accompanying side dishes. I liked the chap chae but the rest were not memorable. 

 
Cabbage Salad. I've never had this as a side dish and this was good. 
 
 
Seafood Pancake--$14.99. This got high marks on yelp but I thought it was just okay. The pancake was slightly mushy but the seafood was good.

 
Clam Tofu--$10.99. This was okay but I still like the one at Kong Tofu in Cupertino better.

 
Yang Nyum Galbi--$29.99. Beef Short Ribs grilled at the table by the wait staff. This was delicious but expensive. There were 2 rolls of the short rib for $29.99.

 
Bulgogi--$24.99. Marinated ribeye beef. This wasn't worth it. The Galbi was much more flavorful.
 
 

2013 07 12

Friday, July 19, 2013

Falafel's Drive In

Falafel's Drive In was opened in 1966 and has been a staple in San Jose since. They serve the best falafels and were featured in "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives."


It's located at 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose.
 
 
Order at the counter, grab a picnic table and wait until your number is called.

 
Falafel Salad for those who are watching their carbs. It features falafels with a salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots with tahini yogurt dressing. It's $7.75 and very filling. The falafels are the best--crispy and flavorful.

 
Baba Ghannouj--$5.50. This is roasted eggplant with a great smoky flavor. I could eat this all day.

 
The Bab Ghannouj comes with 2 pita bread. Their pita bread is from Caravan and it's soft and delicious!
 
 
 
2013 07 12

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Donuts & Bagel Cafe, Santa Rosa

I discovered a new donut place and it's my new favorite place.


Donuts & Bagel Café is located at 750 Stony Point Road, Suite A120 in Santa Rosa.

 
I didn't try the croissants but these were huge. It's about twice the size of a regular croissant and cost only $1.50.

 
Apple fritter--$1.35. These were also huge. They were light and NOT greasy or overly sweet. Delicious!

 
Chocolate raised--$0.85 each or $7.25 for a dozen. These were also light and delicious.

 
Donut holes--$0.15 each or $1.35 for a dozen. Loved these as well. It's so easy to polish off a dozen!
 
 
 
2013 07 04

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Low Country Boil

I like watching the Food Network on the weekends and getting recipe ideas. I like Trisha Yearwood's Southern Kitchen and decided to try her recipe for Low Country Boil. I modified it a little for my taste.



Low Country Boil


2 quarts water
4-6 small red potatoes, quartered
2 Tbs Zatarain's Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil
13 oz Hillshire Farms Chicken Hardwood Smoked Sausage, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 ears of corn, cut into quarters
1 lb large shrimp in shell
Salt

Add quartered potatoes to cold water and bring to boil. Add salt to taste and the Shrimp & Crab boil. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add smoked sausage and ears of corn and cook for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and boil for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and serve.



2013 07 06