Recipes

Raos
Mesa Grill (2011)

Mesa Grill (2010)

Carnevino
Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

March 4, 2011 Boston

Tiny Urban Tidbits #17 - Bryan Tries Puffer Fish!

How many of you have seen that famous Simpson's episode where Homer tries puffer fish?

I think for most of us, puffer fish is something that's exotic, far away, and not really something you would expect to see ever on a US menu.

On Sunday we visited one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Boston, Oishii. Bryan saw fugu on the specials menu and really really wanted to try it. Fugu is the infamous puffer fish. It contains a lethal poison, tetrododoxin, which must be carefully removed before consumption. In Japan, fugu preparation is controlled by law and only licensed chefs (who train for 2-3 years!) can prepare and sell the fish.

Rumor has it that your lips "tingle" a bit when you taste it, allegedly from the tiny bit of residual poison. The poison works by paralyzing your muscles. Most victims die of asphyxiation.

And Bryan really wanted to try it???!!

Don't ask me why, but the risk of this dish is a large part of the draw of this weirdly exotic dish.True thrill seekers will actually flirt with death (and the law!!) by eating the liver, the most poisonous part of the puffer fish.

I continuously snapped pictures as Bryan tried his first bite.

One bite.

Chew chew . . . pause . . . . funny expression.

"It definitely tastes like a cross between lobster and squid sashimi. And there is a slight tingle."

Swallow. More pauses.

I think he's going to be OK.

Phew! OK . . on to dessert!

Valentine's Dessert at Oishii

In reality, these days the risk of dying from eating fugu is pretty low. In fact, between 1993 and 2006, only 23 incidents were reported, with only one occurring at a restaurant. All the others involved fisherman eating their catch.

Furthermore, the biggest risk is eating the liver (now illegal in Japan!), the ovaries, or the skin (not as much risk with the flesh).

Nevertheless, there's still this slight sense of fear and excitement at the same time when you're trying something like fugu for the first time!

Fugu

Valentine's Day
Though we eat out often, we actually chose to stay home on Valentine's Day proper. I seared a simple, sous vide prime steak and we paired it with some fresh pasta tossed with a little bit of butter, cream, and thinly sliced black truffles.

Simple, elegant, and totally relaxing.

What's up next?
Next week we wrap up the Las Vegas Series (three more restaurants, including the best steak Bryan's ever had in his life, Two-Michelin Stars, and a really famous chef from LA). After that? Look out for posts on some of Boston's most well-known burgers, several more giveaways, and a Tokyo Series!

Have a wonderful weekend!

March 3, 2011 Las Vegas

Serendipity 3

It was sooooo cold outside. Frrrrreezing!

In fact, it technically was freezing that crazy week in January when it briefly snowed in Las Vegas! It was so cold, area stores completely sold out of the season's winter coats to unsuspecting visitors who had shown up in the city assuming they wouldn't need jackets.

So why "frrrozen hot chocolate"? On one of the coldest days on record?

Hey, I'm from Boston. Bostonians love their iced desserts and will eat at anytime. Heck, our ice cream shops open all winter long and they are always crowded, regardless of how high the snow piles are or how cold it is outside. I am always happy to make and eat ice cream no matter what season it is!

So of course I was totally game. Plus, one of our friends had never been to Serendipity before and really really wanted to try it.

Serendipity 3, a restaurant that originates from New York, holds the world record for the most expensive ice cream sundae. This insanely opulent sundae must be ordered 48 hours in advance (probably so they can obtain all its exotic ingredients!). It contains five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream (infused with Madagascar vanilla), rare Amedei Porcelana and Chuao chocolate, American Golden caviar, passion fruit, orange, Armagnac, candied fruits from Paris, and marzipan cherries. On top of that, there's real gold everywhere, from real gold dragées to the 23-carat edible gold leaf.
You even get to enjoy your sundae with an 18-karat gold spoon.

Absolutely nuts. Supposedly they sell about one per month. I wonder who gets these? I wonder if it even tastes that amazing . . .

Anyway, we didn't find out. Instead, we ordered their most famous dessert, the frrrozen hot chocolate. I got the Oreo one, which I loved. I have always loved Oreos, especially in ice cream, so it's no surprise that I would love the Oreo frrrozen hot chocolate. It had the characteristic dark bitterness of Oreos. The best part, it wasn't too creamy nor too sweet. I shared one with my friend, which was just about right.

Bryan got a peanut butter one, which was quite good too. In the end, I still preferred mine, thinking his was too sweet and rich. His was also an alcoholic version, though it was so huge and rich he had trouble finishing the whole thing,

Serendipity is located right outside Caesars Palace. Except for that crazy sundae, it's actually a reasonably priced restaurant. The menu has a variety of sandwiches, hamburgers, salads, and some main entrees as well. Of course, there is an extensive dessert section which includes various ice cream sundaes, cakes, and tarts. As for ambiance, the funky retro decor is fun, although the music's a bit loud for conversation and the service can be average. Nevertheless, it's not a bad place to stop by late at night for a little sweet tooth craving.

Serendipity 3
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

Raos

Mesa Grill (2010 trip)

Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to the first Flavors of Malaysia cookbook winner - bunster10! I'm still giving away two more books! Click here and here to enter!

March 2, 2011 Asian

Char Kway Teow (Chinese Stir Fry Rice Noodles)

Welcome to Day 3, the final day, of our three part Malaysian Food Series! Check out Day 1, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Day 2, Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan).

Char Kway Teow, which stands for "stir fried rice flat noodles" is a very popular street food in Malaysia. It consists of these flat rice noodles stir fried in a very hot work with prawns, cockles, greens, bean sprouts, and eggs with dark soy sauce and spices!

Historically, fishermen and farmers would sell this savory, flavorful dish at night in hawker stands to supplement their daytime incomes. Traditionally, you stir fry the dish in pork fat, which makes it quite a rich dish (though I'm sure it's really really good!)

These days, most people have switched to using vegetable oil. Many versions include a fried egg as well, which adds back some of the flavor lost from the lard.

If you have all your ingredients ready to go for this dish, it actually doesn't take too long to cook. The frying step has to be quick and done in a really hot wok! You want there to be a char with the noodles - that's what makes this dish stand out!

I ended up buying sheets of rice noodles because I could not find pre-cut ones. I was able to find mine in Boston's Chinatown at Sun Sun Market, though you can probably find it in a lot of places. Cut noodles into ½ inch strips.

The rest is pretty easy. If you are experienced with the recipe and all your ingredients are ready to go, you should be able to cook this up reasonably quickly. In our case, since it was our first time and we didn't really know what we were doing, we took a little longer than normal.

We eventually felt like we had to take the shrimp out otherwise they would overcook. So, if you want to be safe, you can take the shrimp out too after you think they are done. Overcooked shrimp is rubbery, hard, and, frankly, can ruin the dish.

This dish is really like a normal stir fry, so it's not too hard. It's important to have a really hot wok or skillet (cast iron would be great!). In our case, I think our wok was not quite not enough, and thus we didn't get as much char as we would have liked.

The flavors were all there though, and my Singaporean friend blessed and approved the recipe. 🙂

Giveaway!

Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions
This Malaysian series was inspired by a free review copy I got of Flavors of Malaysia by Susheela Raghavan. You can read a more detailed account of my thoughts regarding the book here. The publisher has been kind enough to provide me with THREE books to give away! I will be giving one away per day during this series - one for each dish I cook from the book!

The other two Giveaways are at the Hainanese Chicken Rice post (ends Wednesday, March 2, 2011!) and the Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan) post (ends Thursday, March 3, 2011!).

For this giveaway, comment below and tell me your favorite Asian noodle dish!

Man, this is too hard for me. I love glass noodles (like Korean Chap Chae) and rice noodles (like Char Kway Teow or Thai Drunken/Crazy Noodles). Finally, I LOVE glutinous rice cakes (like Chao Nian Gao 炒年糕) and, of course, hand-pulled noodles!

Giveaway ends Friday, March 4, 2011 at midnight! I reserve the right to pick another winner if I pick the same winner twice during this three-part giveaway series.

Char Kway Tweo

from Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions

Ingredients

2-3 T cooking oil

1 T crusehd garlic cloves

8 oz (about 1 cup) shelled and deveined shrimp or thinly sliced chicken

2 T double black, thick, or sweet soy sauce

2 T regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely pounded white peppercorns, or ½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper

½ to ¾ teaspoon white granulated sugar (use less if using thick or sweet soy sauce)

6 to 8 ounces Chinese flowering cabbage (choy sum) or Chinese cabbage (bok choy), or Chinese Mustard Greens (gai choy), stalks and leaves separated and washed to remove dirt

14 ounces fresh, flat rice noodles, already cut or cut into ½ -inch wide strips, rinsed in water

2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups (4 ½ ounces) bean sprouts, rinsed or blanched

Spice Paste

6 whole dried red chilies, steeped in hot water for 5-8 minutes and then deseeded; or 1 to 1 ½ T of cili boh or ½ to ¾ T bottled sambal oelek

Optional: 1 ½ to 2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan) toasted at 400 ° F for 15 minutes; or whole dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 5-8 minutes until soft, then drained

¼ cup water

*for pictures of sambal oelek and belacan, check out the water spinach post

Garnish

⅓ cup sliced Chinese chives or spring onions

1 or 2 fresh red chilies, sliced

1. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a smooth paste and set aside

2. Heat 1 T oil in a wok or skillet and saute garlic for about ½ to 1 minute, till light brown and fragrant. Add Spice Paste and remaining oil and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, till fragrant (adding more oil if necessary)

3. Add shrimp or chicken and stir-fry for about 3 minutes for shrimp or 6 minutes for chicken, till cooked.

4. Stir in soy sauces, white, sugar, and Chinese cabbage stalks, and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add noodles and coat well with sauce for about 2 minute. Add Chinese cabbage leaves, cover, and cook for about 1 minute, till greens start to wilt.

5. Uncover, push noodles towards edge of skillet/wok, add a little oil in center, add beaten egg and let set 1 to 2 minutes, then lightly scramble the egg till cooked and blend with noodles so egg coats noodles.

6. Toss in the bean sprouts, blend well and stir fro another minute or two. (Don't overcook, as noodles will get mushy if cooked too long)

7. Garnish with Chinese chives and chilies and serve hot

Enjoy!

Disclaimer

Time to time I receive free products, meals, etc. as a food blogger. I do not receive any payment for blog posts/reviews nor am I required to write a post when I receive free products, meals, etc. The views expressed in this post are completely my own. I was given a free review copy of the book.

March 1, 2011 Asian

Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan) + Giveaway!

Welcome to Day 2 of our three part Malaysian Food Series! If you missed Day 1, Hainanese Chicken Rice, you can check it out here.

If you are Asian, you're bound to have heard of water spinach, or hollow heart vegetable (空心菜). Even though I don't know Southeast Asian food well, I instantly recognized this vegetable because we also eat it in Chinese cooking. In fact, the water spinach is so prolific in Asia, it does not even need soil to grow, profusely thriving in marshy wetlands, rivers, and streams. In parts of the US, it has become so prolific that the USDA has official designated it a "noxious weed." It grows THAT easily.

Malaysia's version of this dish is called kangkung belacan. It is served all over Malaysia, from casual food courts to upscale hotel restaurants. Traditionally, this is a peasant preparation of the dish, though it has gotten trendy in recent years.

Let me tell you, if you are unfamiliar with Malaysian ingredients, it might be a bit frustrating the first time you go grocery shopping in a Chinese market. To be honest, I don't know how easy it is to get all these ingredients. I stumbled around Boston's Chinatown for quite some time, only to turn up relatively empty-handed. I was able to find Sambal Oelek (left) in the Chili Section, but it was hard finding everything else.

In fact, the belacan (dried shrimp paste pictured on the right) is from a store in Southern California. I have no idea where to get it in Boston. I seriously think it may just be less intimidating to buy all your ingredients online. At least you can just search for your term and order it!

Finding the ingredients was really the hardest part of this dish. Once you have everything, you just make a sauce by blending together aromatics, spices, and shrimp paste. Saute your vegetables with the sauce, add a few spices, and voila, that's it!

The belacan definitely adds a deep and flavorful umami to the entire dish that's really different from the Chinese version. Just a word of caution about belacan - this stuff is really really potent! It's got a really strong smell - definitely vent the place and maybe even open some windows especially if you plan on toasting it. Your toaster oven will smell like belacan for a while afterwards. We opened the windows even though it was below freezing outside!

The smell of the belacan lingered in our tiny little apartment for days.

Neverthless, the dish itself is still delicious and quite authentic. Our table of diners polished the whole dish off in no time.

Giveaway!

This Malaysian series was inspired by a free review copy I got of Flavors of Malaysia by Susheela Raghavan. You can read a more detailed account of my thoughts regarding the book here. The publisher has been kind enough to provide me with THREE books to give away! I will be giving one away per day during this series - one for each dish I cook from the book!

The first Giveaway is still going on: Click here if you want to enter that one as well.

For this giveaway, comment below and tell me your favorite Southeast Asian restaurant! If you don't know any Southeast Asian restaurants, just name your favorite Asian restaurant.

For me, I woefully have very little exposure to Malaysian food. In fact, I think the only restaurant I've tried is Penang (in both Harvard Square, Boston Chinatown, and New York City!). In all three cases I thought the food was delicious!

Giveaway ends Thursday, March 3, 2011 at midnight! I reserve the right to pick another winner if I pick the same winner twice during this three-part giveaway series.

Spicy Water Spinach
from Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions

Ingredients
2-3 T cooking oil
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder or ½ teaspoon chopped fresh or frozen turmeric root (¼ inch to ½ inch piece)
1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
1 T tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp
1 small bunch (about 6-8 stalks with leaves, 8 ounces) water spinach, bottom stems trimmed about 1 to 2 inches and washed in water, swirling a few times to remove and dislodge dirt and sand
Optional: ¼ teaspoon salt

Spice Paste
¼ cup sliced shallots or onions
1 heaping tablespoon sliced garlic cloves
½ teaspoon sliced ginger or galangal
1 to 3 fresh red chilies (cayenne, Fresno, jalapeno, Serrano, Thai, or cherry), sliced
½ teaspoon dried shrimp paste (balacan) toasted at 400 °F for 15 minutes or 1 heaping teaspoon of dried whole shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 min to soften and then drained
¼ cup water

1. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a coarse paste

2. Heat 1 T oil in a wok or skillet and saute Spice Paste for about 5-6 minutes, till fragrant, adding 1 to 2 more T oil if needed. Add ground coriander and turmeric and stir for another ½ to 1 minute.

3. Add soy sauce and tamarind juice and stir for about 1 minute.

4. Add water spinach and stir for about 4 minutes, turning the leaves over often and coating well with sauce, till leaves wilt and become bright green with stems still retaining their crispiness. Add salt if needed.

Serve!

Disclaimer
Time to time I receive free products, meals, etc. as a food blogger. I do not receive any payment for blog posts/reviews nor am I required to write a post when I receive free products, meals, etc. The views expressed in this post are completely my own. I was given a free review copy of the book.

February 28, 2011 Asian

Hainanese Chicken Rice + Giveaway!

I almost never ate chicken growing up.

My mom doesn't like chicken, and thus we hardly ate chicken at home. Furthermore, there just aren't nearly as many Taiwanese dishes made with chicken. Chicken wasn't nearly as available in Taiwan as, say pork, which is an essential ingredient in so many Taiwanese dishes. In fact, Bryan's dad talks about how in Taiwan, his family ate chicken only once a year as a treat, on his father's birthday.

For most of my life, I didn't love chicken because I also associated it with the dry and bland meat that you see in a lot of places. It wasn't until recently (for example, when I started playing around with sous vide), that I realized chicken can be just as juicy, tender, and flavorful as any other meat.

The other day, a Singaporean friend came over and we cooked up a bunch of Malaysian dishes from a new cookbook that I recently received. Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of Bryan's favorite Malaysian dishes, so I immediately opted to try that recipe.

What resulted was seriously one of the best (and simplest!) chicken dishes I have ever made.

Before I go on with the recipe, let me just say a few things about the book. I received a free review copy of Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions about a month ago.

I have very little experience with Malaysian food, so I invited my good friend Chia Chi, who is from Singapore, to come over and cook some dishes with me. Aside from her lovely company and wonderful cooking skills, Chia Chi gave helpful insight regarding the authenticity of the recipes in the book.

The author, Susheela Raghavan, was born and raised in Malaysia and gives a lot of background about Malaysian food culture throughout the book. The book is full of information, over 300 pages filled with all sorts of Malaysian recipes, personal stories, and cultural insights. As Raghavan says herself in the introduction to her book, "This is not just a recipe collection, but a cultural and gastronomical journey through the centuries."

Accordingly to Chia Chi, all of the classic Malaysian favorites are in this book. You've got a bunch of Indian-style recipes as well as Chinese-style recipes. There are all kinds of dishes, ranging from snacks, soups, salads, sauces, noodles, to all the various meats. There are separate sections for desserts and fusion cuisine, as well as sections highlighting certain festivals. The center section includes a collection of beautiful color photographs, all taken by the author herself.

The flavors of the dishes we made are pretty authentic, although the author herself says that she has toned down the spice levels to accommodate western palates.

Overall, we found the recipes to be very easy to follow. The book is organized neatly with the recipe amounts listed on a separate column from the rest of the text. Her measurements are often given in ranges, which is very typical of Asian cooking (my mom never measured ANYTHING!). As an inexact cook myself, I appreciate the ranges. It tells me which parts of the recipe are more flexible and frankly, it makes me a lot less relaxed when I'm measuring stuff!

Chia Chi and I had no trouble following this recipe, and the Hainanese Chicken and Rice came out beautifully. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. Everyone who was there (even Bryan, my harshest critic!) thought the chicken was delicious.

The chicken rice was also fluffy and fragrant, although one diner commented that it did not have as strong of a chicken fat flavor. I think that's mostly because I purchased an organic free range chicken which does not have as much fat as a typical supermarket chicken. On the flip side, the flavors of the poached chicken were very nice. I seriously think you get what you pay for when it comes to the inherent flavor of the chicken - organic free range has an edge.

GIVEAWAY!
The publishers of this book were kind enough to give me three books to give away! I will be hosting a new giveaway for the next three days (one book per day!) as part of a three-part Malaysian Food Series. Each day I will describe a different dish I made from the book.

To enter the Giveaway
Please leave a comment below telling me what your favorite Malaysian dish is. If you are not familiar to with Malaysian cuisine, tell me your favorite Southeast Asian dish, or Asian dish of you are not familiar with Southeast Asia.

Me?

My favorite dish is Popiah, a fresh spring roll filled with pork, cilantro, peanuts, sugar, hoisin sauce, vermicelli, bean sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. I first had it at a food stall in Singapore and fell in love! It wasn't until years later that my mom taught me how to make my own!

You may submit comments until midnight, Wednesday March 2, 2011, at which time I will do the drawing.

Update! Congratulations to the first Flavors of Malaysia cookbook winner - bunster10!

bunster10 said, "I've only had a few opportunities to try Malaysian cuisine. I think the last time I did was on a trip to Hawaii. We decided to try a Malaysian restaurant. I don't remember what the dishes were but they were all very tasty!"

There are still two books to give away. Click here and here to enter!

If you are interested in Malaysian food in general, check out Malaysia Kitchen for the World, a global initiative of the Malaysian government that aims to educate and inform consumers about Malaysian cuisine and Malaysian restaurants throughout the world.

Hainanese Chicken Rice
from Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions

Chicken
1 4/12 lb whole chicken
1-2 T finely crushed fresh ginger
2 heaping T finely crushed garlic cloves
½ cup chopped scallions or spring onions
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
12 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoon regular soy sauce

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. After removing the "innards" pack, stuff the cavity with 1 T each of ginger, garlic, and scallions. Rub the whole chicken (including the cavity) with white pepper and salt. Set aside.

2. Bring 13 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Lower heat and add remaining ginger, garlic, and scallions. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Place entire chicken into the pot, making sure it is fully submerged. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let steep for an additional 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove chicken from the pot, reserving the stock.

5. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Alternatively, if serving cold, plunge the entire chicken into ice water and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

6. Brush the chicken with sesame oil and soy sauce. Set aside. Before serving, cut up the chicken into pieces.

Rice

1 T cooking oil

1 T sliced and crushed garlic cloves

1 heaping tsp crushed fresh ginger

Heaping ½ cup finely chopped shallots or onion

1 cup Jasmine rice, washed and rinsed

1 ½ cup reserved chicken stock

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 Pandan leaf, tined with fork and tied into a knot

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Saute garlic and ginger for about ½ to 1 minute. Add shallots/onions and saute 1-2 minutes.

2. Stir in rice and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups reserved chicken stock, salt, sesame oil, and pandan leaf (see photos above for how to tie)

3. If you have a rice cooker: put the contents in a rice cooker and cook until done.
If using a stovetop: Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes (until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked). Remove from heat and let rice cook in its steam for about 10 minutes.

Soup
4 cups reserved chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ finely ground white pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon chopped garlic cloves (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped or crushed ginger (optional)

Place all ingredients in a pot, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Garlic with scallions and serve.

Dip #1: Savory Chile Sauce / Sos Lemak
½ cup chicken stock
6 fresh red chilies (Fresno, jalapeno, Serrano, cayenne, THai, or cherry peppers), finely chopped
1 heaping T chopped or crushed garlic cloves
1 T chopped or crushed ginger
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon white sugar
1 ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed or bottled lime juice
2 teaspoon cooking oil or fat skimmed from boiled chicken stock

Dip #2: Pounded Ginger in Flavored Oil
4 heaping T chopped or crushed ginger
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tsp freshly squeezed or bottled lime juice
1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
¼ cup cooking oil

Dips
Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Put it All Together
Serve with chicken, soup, and the two dips.

February 24, 2011 Greater Boston

Taza Chocolate Factory Pop Up Restaurant

They've been one of the hottest food trends lately. Pop up restaurants, made popular by Celebrity Chef Ludo Lefebvre in Los Angeles, are starting to appear in other cities (like Boston!) as well. The concept is simple. A chef sets up a temporary restaurant in a vacant (often unusual) space for one night and serves a dinner there.

Usually, the dinners are prix fixe, reservations are required, and the menu is ever changing. More often than not the meals are creative, upscale, and multi-course experiences. In general, it's difficult to score a reservation. Seating is often communal, so be prepared to socialize, meet some new friends, and enjoy a different sort of dining experience.

People have dined in banks, sandwich shops, basements, and . . . in this case . . a chocolate factory!

I had the privilege of trying out my first pop-up experience at the Taza Chocolate Factory over Valentine's Day weekend.

I had a blast.

I first visited the Taza Chocolate Factory over a year ago when they had opened it up for tours. They have since upgraded most of their equipment, so all of this was brand new to me. I must say, there's something very, very cool about walking around inside a chocolate factory. How fortunate are we to have something so unique and interesting right in our backyard in Somerville?

A chocolate factory is not set up for cooking, by any means, so Will Gilson had to bring a lot of his own stuff. They set up shop in the "kitchen" area (which had a fridge). Will brought his own immersion circulator (yay sous vide!) and a mini-oven. It's pretty fascinating how he is able to creatively make use of what he has to produce such an interesting meal.

Since it was Valentine's weekend and we were in a chocolate factory, naturally the theme was chocolate. Will Gilson definitely took a very creative and whimsical approach in how he carried out that theme. Case in point: the first course? A HUGE "kiss"! What was inside?

Spice roasted butternut squash kibbeh “chocolate kiss” with pistachio, buttered leeks and braised duck
Well, there was no chocolate, but there was a lovely flavored kibbeh (typically a Lebanese dish made from bulgar wheat) that reminded me a bit of cous cous but with a chewier texture. The flavors were fantastic, and you can't beat the presentation.

Black Truffle and chestnut soup with white chocolate
The second course was probably the most unique dish of the evening. This was Will Gilson's spin on cream of mushroom soup. Normal mushrooms are replaced by black truffles, while the "cream" has been replaced by white chocolate. The soup was interesting. It wasn't bad, but it was quite weird. You could definitely taste the sweetness of the white chocolate, yet at the same time the umami of the soup was quite strong. The way one person put it, "if this soup were just a hair sweeter, it would taste like dessert."

Winter greens and herb salad with crispy speck and guaca “mole” dressing
The salad's chocolate link was the guaca-"mole" dressing. Mole is traditionally a Mexican sauce that contains chili and chocolate (among other spices). Will Gilson took a creative spin on this by using traditional mole spices (sans the chocolate!!) and mixing them with avocados to make his own version of a green goddess dressing. Speck, sort of like prosciutto, is cured ham (knowing Will Gilson, he probably made it himself). It added a nice crunch and saltiness to balance out the creamy dressing.

Marinated lamb with cocoa nib jus, whipped potato, French curry and cabbage dolma
The next course was sort of a take on lamb in two different ways. One piece of lamb was marinated with cocoa nib jus and cooked sous vide in the immersion circulator for hours. The other piece was ground lamb mixed with spices and wrapped in a cabbage leaf. Bryan and I both agreed that the cabbage dolma tasted much better with its flavorful, juicy meat. The marinated lamb was OK, but both of us would have preferred something a bit more rare. In this case, although it was soft and tender, it was basically cooked all the way through.

Mexican Hot chocolate tasting
Warm chocolate espuma, chile and chocolate terrine, and dulce de leche
The dessert was where we finally got to see some true chocolate! Of course, the chocolate was Taza Chocolate. Will taught us now to make dulce de leche (so easy! just boil a can of condensed milk for an hour). I always love the combination of chili and chocolate (the Taza disc with guajillo chili is my favorite!) so it's no surprise I enjoyed the terrine, especially with that tiny sprinkle of salt on top.

Every so often curiosity got the best of me and I would sneak into the kitchen to see what was going on. Will had a small team of people helping him out both with plating the food and serving it.

Before each dish, Will would come up with Aaron (the organizing mastermind behind this whole event) and explain the dish. It made the whole evening a bit more personal, communal, and fun.

At the end of the evening, the people who had been serving us all night came out. There was a big round of applause.

Community
A big part of these events is the communal dining aspect of it. You sit at these longish tables next to people you've never met. Bryan and I ended up sitting with a bunch of folks who worked at Taza Chocolate, which was super fun. I met Stephanie (sales), Mike (the original chocolate maker!!), and Sarah (the "pulse", social media, marketing person).

We asked them all sorts of interesting questions, like "what is it like to be a chocolate maker?" or "what new flavors have you tried making?" or "how often do you get to take chocolate home with you?"

Several of the employees had been with the company since close to the beginning, and it was really cool to hear stories of how Taza has grown through the years.

I even asked them whether they could make the chili chocolate disc with a darker chocolate (currently the discs are around 55%, and I personally love 70%). I was thrilled when they told me that they are actually coming out with those really soon!! Hot off the presses!

Heck, I don't think they've even told anyone else about this yet! So, BREAKING NEWS! Coming soon: new chocolate flavors at Taza will be orange, chipotle, and ginger. These will be available with the 70% chocolate.

The factory now has a store, which is a great place to buy interesting small-batch "research" chocolates that never make it out to normal stores. Examples of some recent pieces include chocolate with pieces of candied ginger as well as chocolates with cashews.

Male Models

Ha ha, got your attention, didn't I?

Mike, the chocolate maker, is actually the guy posing in all of Taza's promotional postcards. The other two Taza employees, Sarah and Stephanie, somehow convinced Mike to pose with the postcard in his hand. That's the picture on the left.

On the right? Will Gilson showing off his awesome eat tatoo.

Would you ever find stuff like this in a normal restaurant?? 😉

The Details
This pop up meal was $80 per person inclusive of everything. Considering that you get a 5-course dinner, unlimited wine (provided by Bear Flags Wine), full service, and a gift bag full of goodies at the end (including Taza Chocolate discs, locally made Elaine Hsieh Chocolates, and I <3 lamb stickers), it's really a good value.

Granted, there are some limitations on the quality of the food mostly from the fact that the chef is quite constrained in a makeshift kitchen. Still, Will did an admirable job of executing a very delicious and enjoyable dinner in a really unique environment.

In the end, the food is only one aspect of this entire dining experience. The pop up experience is unique and fun because 1) it's a one-time event in an unusual space 2) the chef creates a very personalized dining experience for you and 3) you get to meet all sorts of interesting people.

Of course, all this is even more fun when there's excellent food involved (which, in this case, there definitely was).

Highly recommended.

Next Pop Up "Mothers Day In March" at the BCAE
Will told us during this event that his next pop up will be benefiting his mom, Jodie Gilson, owner of J. Gilson Greenhouses, a wholesale grower of herbs and perennials. Sadly, all of his mother's greenhouses collapsed under heavy snow this past winter. These greenhouses are her livelihood and it's crucial for her to be up and running in time for the spring season.

Will's next pop up has an impressive line up of chefs, including Colin Lynch (Menton), Jamie Bissonnette (Toro/Coppa), Joanne Chang (Flour), Ian Grossman (Russell House Tavern), and Will himself, (Garden at the Cellar) of course. See the entire list here.

The dinner will be Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the Boston Center for Adult Education. You can buy tickets here.

February 23, 2011 Las Vegas

Rao's (Caesar's Palace)

Update: I have updated this post (originally posted January 2010) with some additional comments and photos from my second visit in January 2011.

This post is part III of the larger series: Celebrity Chef Dining in Las Vegas. Other posts in this series include Part I: Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante and Part II: Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.

Is it worth the hype? Does it really have the same menu as the New York establishment? What’s the food like?

These were all questions running through my mind as I considered what our meal at Rao’s would be like.

Just a bit of background. The original Rao’s is a tiny Italian restaurant in New York City and has been there for decades. It is soooo popular at this point that it almost seems like you have to know someone to get a reservation. The tiny restaurant, which only has ten seats, only seats one reservation per evening. Worse yet, seven of the ten seats are already reserved for regulars, many who have been coming for decades. This leaves exactly three seats a night. No wonder it's virtually impossible to get a reservation.

Two years ago, Frank Pellegrino, co-owner of Rao's, decided to open a new outpost in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace. This second location is run by Frank Pellegrino Jr., the owner’s son and his wife Carla, who is the executive chef. Update: Carla Pellegrino left Rao's in November 2010 and will be starting her own new Naples themed Italian restaurant called Bratalian in Henderson, NV sometime in March.

Supposedly the menu is very similar, with many of the most popular dishes from the NYC establishment also available in Las Vegas.

I was very, very curious.

When you first enter, you see a copy of the original NYC façade. You feel like you are in a fake “outside” walking up to the entrance of the restaurant.

We were seated in the back “patio” section, which was actually surprisingly pleasant. It really felt like we were sitting in the outside patio, oddly enough. You could see the brick outside of the “restaurant” and above us vines hung throughout.

We enjoyed a very good 2006 Tuscan Tignaloto (sp?) wine highly recommended by the sommelier ($195). It was a delicious (albeit expensive!) wine. No complaints there.

The service was a bit spotty in the beginning. It took us FOREVER to receive our drink menus and even longer for the waiter to come by. The timing of things was a bit weird. The bread came super early, and then the sommelier tried to serve the wine at the same time the waiter was describing dishes to us. A bit weird, but our waiter was so nice (after he eventually came) that we decided we could forgive the hiccupy service at the beginning of our meal.

And the food? Oh man, the food is really really good.

We ordered two starters. The Frutti di Mare is classic, and one of their most famous dishes in the NYC restaurant. This was really delicious. First off, the seafood used was very fresh and cooked perfectly. The shrimp was juicy, succulent, and “popped” the way properly cooked shrimp should. The calamari was soft and tender, and the lobster was absolutely divine. The seafood salad was tossed in a very light dressing of oil and mixed with some chopped celery, kalamata olives, and parsley and finished with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Even though it sounds so simple, the combination works perfectly and the final product is addictively good. The portions are surprisingly generous, and I was half full after our appetizers.

We also ordered the deep fried mozzarella with tomato sauce, which was very good. Bryan thought the mozzarella was very high quality, and it was perfectly fried. Although it was solid, it was less of a “WOW” dish compared to the frutti di mare.

Fore our entrées, Bryan ordered the veal chop with cherry peppers, which was recommended by our waiter. He also got a side of the special, which was pasta with proscuitto and peas in a light cream sauce.

The veal chops were AMAZING!!!!! Oh my goodness, it was definitely one of the best meat dishes we have ever had at an Italian restaurant, and that unfortunately includes all the restaurants we have tried in the North End in Boston. The combination of the juicy grilled veal chops with the tangy and spicy cherry peppers just worked incredibly well. I don't know how else describe it except that you have to try this one. A must-try.

The pasta with proscuitto and peas was good, although I thought they over-cooked the fresh pasta. A far cry from the super chewy amazing pasta at B&B Ristorante the other night, the pasta here was a tad soggy, not unlike the texture of the pasta of the lobster fra diavlo at Prezza. Neverthless, the flavors of this dish were solid, though nothing particularly exciting.

I ordered the marinara pasta because I really wanted to taste the quality of their tomato sauce. WOW. San Marzano tomatoes really do make a difference! I have had Rao’s jarred tomato sauce and their version of marinara is the best commercial jarred tomato sauce I have had.

This was many times better than the jarred version. Slightly spicy, this sauce had a deep rich tomato flavor that was sweet from the tomatoes themselves, not from the addition of sugar. I loved it - I felt like I could eat it forever. Unfortunately, the fresh pasta, again, was slightly overcooked. Still, the sauce was so incredibly beautiful that I didn’t care and ate the soft pasta regardless.

We tried the following two dishes on a return trip to Vegas in 2011

The lemon chicken is one of the famous dishes at the restaurant, so we ordered it on our return visit in 2011. The chicken is nicely broiled, the meat is tender, and the lemon flavor is quite pronounced. After all the hype though, I think we were slightly disappointed. I mean, it was good, but part of me doesn't see what makes it so incredibly famous.

The smoked salmon with cream sauce tubular pasta that we ordered had much better texture than our previous pasta experiences at Rao's. This pasta was beautifully chewy, had a wonderful creamy flavor, and was overall quite enjoyable.

For dessert we split a ricotta cheesecake. I was curious how it would compare to the ricotta pies we have ordered at Mike’s Pastry in the North End.

Well, it was good, although I prefer the ricotta pies from Mike’s Pastry.

Over all, it was an excellent meal. There’s something to be said about a restaurant when everything is either good or amazing. Really, except for the slightly spotty service and the overcooked pasta, everything else was great.

If you go, definitely order the frutti di mare appetizer and the veal chops. I absolutely loved the tomato sauce as well, although maybe it’s not worth ordering the fresh pasta since they seem to over-cook it. Or, maybe order thicker, more tubular shapes, which can stay chewy longer.

Yum . . wish I could try the one in New York. Oh well, at least we "Plebs" get a chance to try many of the dishes in Las Vegas.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

2011

2010

Mesa Grill

Note: originally published 1/27/10 at 2:04 AM

Caesar's Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-7110

February 22, 2011 Las Vegas

Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay)

Ancho Chili Duck

There is one place that Bryan always visits without fail whenever he travels to Las Vegas for business.

Yep, it's absolutely no surprise that this million mile world traveler, who loves hot chilies and Mexican food in general, gravitates towards Bobby Flay's bold flavors at Mesa Grill.

Mesa Grill earned a coveted Michelin Star in 2008, only to lose it by the 2009 edition. Michelin did not publish a Las Vegas Guide in 2010, so we won't know until 2011 whether Bobby Flay will get that star back.

This doesn't appear to have affected business at all. Mesa Grill is still one of the most popular destinations inside Caesars Palace. Its combination of excellent food, casual atmosphere, and reasonable prices (by Vegas standards), seems to continue bringing people back for more.

Blue Corn Pancake
Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce 15

If it's your first time here, you must get some of his signature dishes, which are all excellent. The blue corn pancakes are a must-get appetizer. It's sort of like Bobby Flay's spicy interpretation of the traditional Peking duck wrap. I love it and I tend to order it pretty often (sometimes even as my entree!).

Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale: Corn - Cilantro Sauce 16

The shrimp tamale is also incredibly good. It's rich, for sure, but the sweet corn works beautifully with the plump and juicy shrimp. This is another classic that we order over and over again.

New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Bourbon - Ancho Chile Sauce, Sweet Potato Tamale, Crushed Pecan Butter 36

We tried this dish our first time at Mesa Grill and absolutely loved it. The medium-cooked pork (yes! it's still quite pink!!) is succulent, juicy, and covered with a deliciously spicy and flavorful Bourbon-Ancho Chili rub that is out of this world. If you can only order one entree, I would definitely recommend this one!

Rough Cut Tuna "Nachos"
Mango - Habanero Hot Sauce + Avocado Crema 18

I should have learned the first time around that I don't love Bobby Flay's interpretations of raw fish. I guess my standard is kind of high when it comes to raw fish in general, and I don't think they use very high quality tuna in this dish. For some reason, I think the strong sweet and spicy flavors overwhelm the tuna. This dish was only so-so and I would not order it again.

Pan Seared Squid
New Mexico Chile, Toasted Garlic, Tangerine 15

Lamb Shank Posole
Red Wine - Red Chile Broth, Cabbage, Hominy, Cotija 36
Bryan got the lamb shank and thought that it was pretty good, though probably not something he would order again. In the end, it did not stand out and wow him the way other dishes have done so in the past.

Green Chile Cioppino
Jumbo Prawn, Scallop, Grouper, Mussels, served with Blue Corn Stick, Scallion Butter 40

Sixteen Spice Chicken
Mango-Garlic Sauce, Mango - Green Onion Salsa, Cilantro Pesto Mashed Potatoes 30
The chicken cane with a wonderful mix of sauces that gave the fried chicken a complex yet delicious kick. The dish tasted the best when your bite included a bit of each sauce (mango garlic and mango-green onion).

General Thoughts
Alas, I dined here with a large party and did not have a chance to sample everyone's dish, so I cannot give as detailed comments on each dish as I normally do! Nevertheless, I've come here enough times to say that I highly recommend this restaurant. If you like interesting, bold, and spicy flavors, you will love Mesa Grill. Sometimes the wait can be long if you show up without a reservation, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead!

Bryan has already told me that he plans on going to Mesa Grill again during his business trip to Las Vegas next month. What is he going try this time?

The famous burger! Can't wait to hear what THAT tastes like!

Cinnamon and Anise Churros with Chocolate dipping sauce

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

Raos

Mesa Grill (2010 trip)

The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles - Noodle Making Class in Beijing

Caesar's Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(877) 346-4642

February 21, 2011 Las Vegas

RM Seafood (Rick Moonen)

According to Rick Moonen, founder of RM Seafood, these five fish will be extinct by 2048 if we don't change what we're doing now:

Salmon * Tuna * Cod * Snapper * Bass

Rick is a huge proponent of sustainable fishing, and his restaurant is a living example of a place that aims to practice what it preaches. Rick believe that most Americans tend to gravitate towards what he calls "The Big Five," (the five fish types listed above) thus contributing to the depletion of these fish in the oceans.

Rick Moonen's goal is to give these Big Five fish "a break." He has added lesser known fish to his restaurant's menu in an effort to show diners that these fish taste good too.

Rick is not only a proponent of sustainable fishing, of course. He's also a very well known chef. Rick was a finalist in last season's Top Chef Masters. He also trained at several New York restaurants, including Le Cirque, La Côte Basque, and Oceana, before opening RM on his own in New York.

In 2005, he was given an offer he could not refuse. Mandalay Bay had built a gorgeous 7 million dollar restaurant space and they asked if he wanted to "slap his name on it."

Not wanting to destroy his reputation with a mediocre second-class imitation of his NYC restaurant in Vegas, he instead decided to close his New York restaurant, pack his bags, and move to Las Vegas to run RM Seafood full time.

The restaurant is two stories, with a fancier upstairs section and a more casual downstairs section. The upstairs section has various prix fixe menus, such as a $135 7-course dinner or an $85 3-course dinner. The downstairs section is much more casual, and also serves lunch.

The space is definitely huge and beautiful. Surprisingly, business was slow on a Monday lunch, with mostly empty tables. Despite the shortage of customers, service was spotty, and it took a long time before our server finally asked us what we wanted to order.

Ahi Tuna Duo seared & tartare, haas avocado, yuzu-soy sauce 16
Thankfully, the food came out reasonably promptly after we ordered. Because I was not super hungry, I ordered the Ahi Tuna Duo (typically an appetizer), which I really enjoyed. The delicate flavors came together quite nicely, the yuzu-soy sauce bringing together the tuna, avocados, and cucumbers in a light and refreshing way. I do find it somewhat ironic that this is one of the "Big Five," but it's probably not financially feasible for a seafood restaurant to completely abandon the Big Five without going bankrupt.

Rick's White Clam Chowder potatoes, littleneck clams, bacon lardon 9
Bryan and I shared a bowl of clam chowder, which was generously filled with large chunks of littleneck clams. We were very impressed with the knife work in general. The perfect, tiny little cubes of carrots, celery, and potatoes inside the soup were all cut with supreme precision, every piece virtually the same size. Despite all that, the flavor of the chowder itself was not nearly as robust and full of clam flavor as my personal favorite clam chowder in the world - the New England clam chowder from Legal Sea Foods in Boston.

RM Soba Ponzu truffle vinaigrette, Albacore tataki 14
The RM soba was ordinary and "bland" according to my friend who ordered it. She said she could not really taste the truffle portion of the vinaigrette, and she thought the dish was undersalted.

Red Hake 24
This special was solidly prepared. Rick Moonen definitely knows how to cook fish properly, and this fish was no exception. Hake is an example of a more unusual "non-Big Five" fish that Rick is trying to promote on his menu.

Fish Tacos Pico de gallo, Shredded Cabbage, Chipotle Cream 17

Bryan got the fish tacos, Rick Moonen's own creative interpretation of the Baja fish taco. Unlike a traditional Baja fish taco, the fish here is grilled instead of fried. Rick adds back the "crunch" component by putting a hard taco inside of a soft taco shell.

Bryan thought it was quite enjoyable (he loves fish tacos), though he still prefers the traditional Baja fish taco (which is much cheaper!) he can get in LA.

Sticker Shock
This was one of our first meals in Las Vegas, so I was still suffering quite a bit from sticker shock. Las Vegas dining is very expensive on the Strip. You will most likely feel that everything is overpriced. One pleasant surprise: the house sparking water is only $5, and it seems to include unlimited refills. Other than that, however, be prepared for high prices. On the lunch menu, starters run in the $9-$16 range, while entrees run from $13-$29. On the sushi menu, nigiri costs about $4-$5 a piece, while rolls average around $20 each. Of course, dinner prices are even higher, with entrees averaging around the $40 range.

Overall, most of the food we tried was solid and enjoyable. I do understand and appreciate that sustainable fish (or any fresh seafood, for that matter) is probably really expensive to transport to Las Vegas. I'm sure part of the high prices reflect that inherent cost. However, I'm still not sure if the food itself is good enough to make me come back again, especially at those prices. Perhaps I would have a different view had I eaten upstairs, where the higher prices could justify the uniqueness, creativity, and quality of the dishes.

I notice that RM Seafood has been doing a lot of promotions lately, either through Restaurant.com or at those half priced tickets booths on the Strip. I think with a discount, a meal here is perfectly enjoyable and will seem like a reasonable value. Otherwise, if I only had a few days in Vegas, this would not be my top choice destination.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery
China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco

RM Seafood

3930 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89119

February 18, 2011 Las Vegas

Bouchon Bistro

I'm a pretty big fan of Thomas Keller.

If you just look at my restaurant posts this past year, you'd think I was on some sort of subconscious mission to try every single Thomas Keller restaurant in America. I mean, between The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon Bakery, and now Bouchon Bistro, I'm pretty darn close. All I have left is that famous fried chicken at Ad Hoc. Heck, I've even cooked from several of his cookbooks, including a multi-course meal made completely with sous vide, and of course my beloved TKOs.

Bouchon Bistro is clearly very different from The French Laundry and Per Se, which are extremely upscale restaurants with three Michelin stars each. Thomas Keller decided to open the more casual Bouchon Bistro because he wanted to capture the essence of the amazing bistros he enjoyed while traveling in France. These were typically small, intimate family-owned venues where the husband cooked in the back while the wife managed the front of the house. He wanted Bouchon Bistro to be "a place where people come to relax, talk, and to eat. A kind of home."

I'll agree that Bouchon Bistro is a great place to relax. Though it hardly has the feel of a small, family-owned home, it retains the warmth and comfort of a traditional French bistro. Situated on the 10th floor in a slightly hard-to-find part of the Venetian, Bouchon takes the classic French bistro and nudges it up just a bit with that Thomas Keller flair.

Case in point: the moment you sit down, you are greeted with beautiful artisanal baguettes (strewn across the table!), fresh butter, and pistachios!

Macaroni au Gratin (fancy way of saying mac & cheese!) $7.50
Soupe a l'Oignon (French onion soup) $9.75

Kid Friendly?
We came here with a couple friends who actually brought their two young children. Surprisingly, it was fine. The seats were spacious; there were kid-accessible dishes on the menu; and the servers handed out a box of crayons and some paper. The kids got some "Macaroni au Gratin" and "Soup a l"Oignon." [It's funny how just saying something in French makes it sound 10x more elegant]

Oh, they also loved the bread on the table!

Truite Grenobloise pan-roasted trout with cauliflower florets, sultanas,toasted brioche & truffle cauliflower purée $28.50

Bryan ended up getting this really really delicious pan roasted trout. The combination of flavors inside the fish worked beautifully together (I mean, how can you go wrong with cauliflowers and truffles!) We loved how the toasted brioche added just the right amount of textural contrast (i.e. crunch) to the soft cauliflower puree and the ever-so-tender fish. For some, it may be a bit disconcerting to have your dinner stare at you all night. Bryan was totally fine with it though, as Chinese people have been eating fish this way for generations.

Côtelette de Porc pork delmonico chop, Brussels sprouts, red wine-glazed pears & roasted shallot pork jus $34.95

My friend got the pork and let us all try generous bites of it. "There's no way I can finish this! Have another piece!!" The pork was juicy, flavorful, and overall delicious. The roasted Brussels sprouts were solid - nothing I couldn't make at home, but good.

Steak Bouchon New York strip steak, Yukon gold potato rösti, sauce béarnaise $45

Coquilles St. Jacques Poêlés sautéed scallops with abalone mushroom & salsify fricassée
with lobster royale & black pepper gastrique $36.00
I ordered the scallops, which were solid, but nothing particularly special. The mushrooms were quite nice, but I've had better scallops elsewhere.

Trio of Bouchons with Ice Cream

I loved the bouchons from Bouchon Bakery, so we opted to share this dessert. It's delicious (as expected). The bouchons, which are quite chocolately, rich, and sweet, are nicely tempered by the creamy ice cream.

Concluding Thoughts
Overall, Bouchon Bistro is an excellent restaurant where everything is well executed - no real misses. Of course, the prices are your typical inflated Vegas Strip prices, which can get annoying after you spend more than a few days there. If you can ignore that aspect of it (which you have to if you want to actually enjoy your meals in Vegas), I think you can have a great time here.

I think my favorite dish was Bryan's pan roasted trout because its combination of flavors was more unique and interesting compared to the other dishes. All the other menu items we ordered were solidly executed and delicious as well - just not as unique or interesting.

If you only have a few days in Vegas, I probably would not pick this as a destination dining place.* Yes, the food is excellent and the ambiance is relaxing. However, it's the type of food you can probably find elsewhere. I would instead visit more interesting, Vegas specific-type places, like B&B Ristorante, Joel Robuchon, Jean Phillipe Patisserie, or even China Poblano!

*I might be biased because I generally think typical French food (piece of meat with a side of roasted veggies + carbs) is kind of boring

3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

February 17, 2011 Las Vegas

Bouchon Bakery (Las Vegas)

It's almost a ritual now.
Whenever I'm in a city with a Bouchon (and yes, with this one, I've been to all three), I never cease to stop by and pick up a sweet little snack. It's hard to pick one favorite (virtually everything I've tried there has been absolutely delectable), but I usually get a TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo) or a macaron, though I also love their bouchons and chocolate croissants.

The one in Las Vegas is inside the Venetian. Yes, this is the same casino that has the replica St. Mark's Square, a river inside, and the singing gondola rides. It's quite a sight.

The Bouchon Bakery is actually separate from all those fun things, and instead is located right next to the Phantom of the Opera theater entrance.

We passed by this area during CES because the High Performance Audio section happened to be nearby.

Love TKOs (winner of my own little "oreo" showdown)

I also love macarons, so I got both!!! Vanilla macaron is still my favorite.

Bryan wanted to try the carrot cake "sandwich?? cupcake?" cakewich? since he's typically a huge fan of carrot cake.

We loved the chocolate croissant from our visit to the one in Napa Valley, so we got it again. It was just like we remembered! The chocolate inside is dark, rich, and not too sweet - just the way we like it.

Just for fun - a few madeleines!

nom nom nom . . .

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Bouchon Bakery
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

February 16, 2011 Las Vegas

Beijing Noodle No. 9

This is something you don't see everyday.

If you look really closely, you'll see a noodle master behind the counter tossing and whirling a huge rope of dough.*

Sure, if you're in China and you explicitly seek it out, you can find traditional Beijing-style hand-pulled noodles in a number of locations. In the US, however, it's a bit of a lost art. Pulling and stretching noodle dough requires a ton of physical strength and stamina. Furthermore, it takes months of training before a chef can consistently and accurately pull out perfectly formed noodles for customers.

As a result, it's virtually impossible to see this type of food in the US unless if you are in New York, LA, or . . . . Las Vegas?

Welcome to Beijing Noodle No. 9, one of the newer additions to the Caesars Palace Empire here in the middle of the Strip.

Unlike a typical noodle shop in China, Beijing Noodle No. 9 is trendy, bright, and ultra clean.

Two crazy huge fish tanks guard the entrance, making the inside of the restaurant feel almost unreal in a surrealistic way.

We started with some pot stickers. Although they were reasonably authentic, they were not particularly special, and, at $2 a piece, felt very, very expensive. I would skip this in lieu of the noodles!

Chef's Special Handmade Noodles with Eggs (large)

All the noodle dishes come in two different sizes: small ($15-18) and large ($23-$28). We had a party of 6, so we chose to share three large bowls of noodles plus the dumplings. This was just enough food for a crowd that has several small appetites. I wouldn't say we were stuffed, but we were reasonably satisfied. People with larger appetites may think it's not quite enough food.

Chef's Special Handmade Noodles with Pork and Mushroom (large - all mixed!)

Overall, the flavors of the dishes were very good. My favorite was the handmade noodles with pork and mushroom, which had a deep, earthy sauce that tasted delicious with the chewy handmade noodles.

Braised Beef Brisket with Handmade Noodles

We did note some inconsistency in the noodle texture. Our braised beef brisket's hand-pulled noodles were overcooked, and therefore lacked the super chewy texture you come to expect with hand-pulled noodles. On the contrary, our Pork and Mushroom knife shaved noodles were gloriously chewy. I enjoyed every single bite.
We knew the kitchen was capable of better tasting noodles because later on, we actually walked up to the counter to watch the Noodle Master make some noodles. Amused by our fascination, he tossed us a freshly pulled and freshly cooked noodle to try.

It was FANTASTIC! It had the most amazing texture. It was eons better than the overcooked noodles that had been swimming in our beef brisket soup.

Why the difference? Perhaps the dish sat out on the counter for too long before the server gave it to us; or perhaps that particular batch sat in boiling water moments too long. Who knows? In any event, we were bummed that our little taste test was so different from our experience at our table.

Despite the disappointment with one of our noodle soups, we were still overall pretty pleased with the place. Yes, the food is definitely more expensive than normal, but then . . this is Vegas! Everything on the Strip is overpriced. The prices are comparable to other quality restaurants on the Strip.

It's surprising to me how many people on general review sites (e.g., Yelp, Urbanspoon) give this place bad reviews. Granted, many of the negative reviews come from people who are shocked and upset by the prices. However, several complain about the bland taste of the food.

I agree that you can find equally good or better food for a lot less elsewhere, like Flushing (Queens, NYC) or Los Angeles. However, I disagree about the flavors being bland. In fact, we were all quite pleased with the flavors ("we" being two people who grew up in Taiwan and four others who have traveled extensively in Asia). Unlike Americanized Chinese food, which is almost always over-sauced, over-salted, and over-MSGed, the flavors here were clean, balanced, and enjoyable.

Bottom line: if you appreciate the unique aspects of handmade noodles (the texture, the wow factor of watching them pull it!) and it doesn't bother you to pay a lot more than normal for Chinese food, I think you'll enjoy your meal here. However, if you are just looking for good, solid Chinese food at a reasonable price, you might be better off driving about a mile down Spring Mountain Road to Chinatown, Las Vegas.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Related Posts
How to Make Hand Pulled Noodles
Noodle Loft (Mian Ku)
Noodle Bar

Beijing Noodle No. 9
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

*If you look REALLY closely, you'll see Bryan in the picture too.

February 15, 2011 Las Vegas

Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie

Is that really a 27-foot tall chocolate fountain?

On the first floor of the Bellagio inside Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie you'll find the world's largest chocolate fountain. This crazy, fully functional fountain pushes through 2100 lbs of chocolate at a rate of 120 quarts a minute. We sort of stumbled upon this place for lunch one day, and what wonderful, serendipitous treat it became!

Who is Jean-Phillipe? Jean-Philippe Maury is the Executive Pastry Chef for the Bellagio. He oversees a team of seventy people who produce over 15,000 pastries a day for all the restaurants and shops inside the Bellagio. He has won numerous awards, including Best Pastry Chef in France in 1997.

Jean-Philippe's lifelong dream? "Open a French patisserie in the United States with an opulence never before seen."

I have to say, he may just have reached that goal.

Of course, the chocolate fountain alone already makes this patisserie way more opulent than most. On top of that, however, they also make exquisitely detailed pastries, beautiful whimsical cakes, and a wonderful assortment of homemade candies and chocolates. You can even buy "bottled" chocolate from the chocolate fountain.

It's a perfect place for lunch (sandwiches, salads, even crepes!), breakfast (tons of freshly baked pastries!), or dessert (decadently gorgeous cakes and pastries).

Nutella and Banana Crepe

Sandwiches are made to order and are surprisingly reasonably priced (well under $10).

There aren't a ton of tables, but then most people take food to go, so we actually had no trouble finding a table for four right around lunchtime.

Most desserts were around $6 each, which isn't bad considering the amount of effort required to make each of these delicate pieces of art!

I loved the whimsical cake that looks like it's toppling over.

It was tough just choosing three pastries!

Crazy Cakes!

These are all cakes, believe it or not! A Grand Vin de Chateau LaTour wine in a box!

Toy Story! Check out Buzz Lightyear at the top of the cake.

Belle, Cogsworth, Chip, and Mrs. Potts!

As you can tell, this place is super fun to visit, even if you don't buy anything. You should definitely go just to check out the awesome fountain and the amazing cakes. If you are hungry, the food is quite good and very reasonably priced, especially for a place right inside the Bellagio.

I~~t's not to late to enter the Eating Las Vegas Giveaway~~ ~~for a $25 gift card to Chef's Catalog. Drawing will occur on Wednesday.~~ Winner has been chosen! Congrats to Michael!

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

February 14, 2011 Las Vegas

China Poblano

Beef tendon Kumamoto oyster tacos with Szechuan pepper corn sauce? Fried potatoes with a choice of mole poblano or XO sauce?

José Andrés' newest venture in the swanky new Cosmopolitan hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas pairs casual Chinese and Mexican food together in one trendy location. The vibe inside is interesting. Chow down on casual dim sum / tapas all while gazing at Chinese doll statues, a slideshow montage of Chairman Mao and the like, and an open kitchen with cooks diligently churning out tortillas, hand-pulled noodles, and other little "eats."

To quote Mr. Andrés himself, it's a “grand, beautiful, sexy fantasy.”

The two cuisines don't really mix, save for the one or two dishes that I've mentioned above. In fact, the kitchens are separated, with two distinct take-out counters under matching neon signs ostentatiously screaming "CHINESE FOOD" and "MEXICAN FOOD."

José Andrés was originally tasked with the job of creating a Chinese restaurant for this new hotel. Not being comfortable with the cuisine, he instead opted to do a mix - half Chinese and half Mexican (the cuisine with which he is most familiar and for which he is most well-known).

Odd concept, to say the least, but José Andrés argues that, at the end of the day, the two cuisines are not too different. Really, isn't a Peking duck wrap basically a Mexican soft taco with a few twists?

We'd have to try it for ourselves to see.

Drinks are super fun. Bryan tried the Salt Air Margarita (see foamy drink on left - $11), which is described as José Andrés’ personal favorite drink made with with fresh lime and salt "air". Bryan thought it was tasty, but too sweet for his preference. You can choose from a variety of Aguas Frescas (a Mexican drink made with fresh fruit, water, and sugar - $4.88). I especially enjoyed my cucumber flavored one (second from left), although I'm sure the passion fruit and raspberry ones were just as good.

We thought his Mexican dishes were spot on. Tacos were fresh, flavorful, and had a great combination of flavors. I actually really enjoyed the Viva China, one of the few fusion tacos on the menu made with soft beef tendon, Kumamoto oyster, and scallions with a Sichuan peppercorn sauce ($9).

The Carnitas (braised baby pig/pork rinds/spicy salsa verde cruda $8) was also very good, as well as the Pescado Frito (fried fish/Mexican salsa $11.88) and Pancita al Pastor (slow-cooked pork belly/pineapple $9). Overall, José Andrés clearly knows his Mexican food and he does a fantastic job executing it. This is definitely better than anything I've tried in Boston.

One of my favorites (a must order!) was the Scallop Ceviche (pictured at the top of the post). You get these little bay scallops which are each perched on top of a key lime half dipped in ancho chile and sugar. The resulting "shot" is a wild burst of contrasting flavors that's not only fun to eat (look at Bryan's expression here!) but also really enjoyable.

The Handmade Tortillas were soft, chewy, and went addictively well with the Guacamole (one of the best I've had - $12). Also pictured above: Papas fritas (lower right) - fried potatoes with XO sauce - $6 and Rou Jia Mo Street Sandwich (upper left) - $8.88.

Top left: Caldo Tlalpeño (shredded chicken/rice/peas/carrots/avocado/chipotle $8). Top Right: Shrimp Mojo (shrimp/sweet black garlic/roasted poblano peppers $14). Bottom left: When Pigs Fly BBQ pork buns). Bottom right: The Unruly Monk ( hand-cut noodles/bok choy/wild wood ear mushrooms/poached egg/spicy sauce $16).

Chinese food is definitely a different story. Granted, I've had some of the best Chinese street food in the world between places like Jia Jia Tang Bao, Yang's Fry Dumpling, and China and Taiwan in general. The dim sum is quite average here and really not worth the higher prices that he charges. You might as well stick to the good (and cheaper!) Chinese food in LA, NYC, or possibly even Chinatown in Las Vegas.

We did enjoy his soups, which have a flair of creativity that definitely elevates them above an ordinary Chinese street dish. Check out the perfectly poached egg in The Unruly Monk. The hand cut noodles had fantastic texture and the food was clearly made with top quality ingredients. Skip the When Pigs Fly (essentially tiny Char Siu Baos costing way more than normal).

In general, we much preferred his Mexican offerings to his Chinese offerings.

Though not particularly authentic, the Chicken Ji Song (chicken/lettuce leaf cups/fried sweet potatoes $15) was actually quite tasty. I really enjoyed the textural differences between the lettuce cup, the juicy chicken, and the crispy fried vermicelli on top.

Nice, but Naughty (sautéed lotus root with fresh pea shoots and sesame - $9.88) was actually a nice, refreshing counterpoint to all the other meat & carb-heavy dishes we had ordered. I love lotus roots and pea shoots, so I actually enjoyed this dish. It was also generously sized, and arguably much bigger than a typical "tapas".

For dessert, I highly recommend the Cajeta Flan (goat’s milk caramel/pineapple $8), which I'm pretty confident is the best dessert on the menu. The flavors were delicate yet sophisticated at the same time. The caramel was deep and rich, and the goat's cheese definitely added a unique twist to the traditional dessert.

Happy Buddha Giggling Taking a Bath (shaky belly strawberry gelatin $10)
My friend Emily, a Las Vegas wedding photographer, saw this on the menu and absolutely had to order it because she was sooooo curious. This is the wackiest thing I've ever seen. There is an entire Buddha who really looks like he's taking a bath, all covered with strawberry flavored foam. It's a bit disconcerting to be eating his body parts, but the jello, which is all-natural, was pretty good and not too sweet. Though there's a bit of novelty to this dish, it's probably not worth the $10.

Concluding Thoughts
Overall, we really liked this place. In fact, we visited it twice during our short stay here in Las Vegas (the second time we only ordered Mexican dishes!!). It's conveniently located right in the center of Strip, and the prices are reasonable for the location. They recommend that you order 2-3 tapas per person. I found that to be a bit much, as some of the "tapas" are almost the size of regular dishes. I would start with 2 per person and then order more if you're still hungry.

My favorites? Get a couple tacos (I actually loved Viva China, but they are all good), Scallop Ceviche, Guacamole, and Cajeta Flan. If you like hand-pulled noodles you can get one of the Chinese dishes, since that's still a pretty unique concept.

Highly recommended.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco

China Poblano
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

February 11, 2011 Las Vegas

Eating Las Vegas + Giveaway!

January is always a crazy time for us.

Having barely recovered from holiday eating in both California and Ohio, we annually make our way to Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Of course, there's so much good food in Vegas, the holiday binging just gets extended. Any possible semblance of New Years resolutions fly out the window. Ha ha, that's why it's nice to have Chinese New Year shortly following in February, sort of a second chance!

This year we spent an entire week in Vegas, thanks to generous food-loving friends who let us stay in their timeshare with them. On the dining front, we revisited some old favorites as well as try several new places. I will be highlighting these excursions in detail this coming week in the "Eating Las Vegas" series.

Can you guess where we went? I'll give you some clues.

Just to sweeten the deal, I'll do a drawing to give away one $25 Chefs Catalog gift card.

Ways to enter the Giveaway: (deadline - Wednesday, February 16. 2011)
1. Leave a comment guessing which restaurants are pictured below. (Bonus extra 4 entries (total of 5 entries in the drawing) if you're the first person to get all of them right)

2. If you're not familiar with Las Vegas restaurants, leave a comment telling me which photo is your favorite and why.

1. Blue corn pancakes with duck - a signature dish of this Food Network star.

2. Really? A restaurant that serves Mexican and Chinese food??

3. Quaint French Bistro - originally from Napa Valley

4. A second, larger outpost of a New York favorite that is legendary for being impossible to get into . . .

5. The menu says it all. There used to be one of these in Harvard Square when I was in college.

6. 90-day dry aged steak is the standard here. "Best steak I've ever had" said Bryan.

7. Enjoy beautifully executed French food while gazing at fountain shows and really really expensive art.

8. Traditional hand-pulled noodles right from the capital of China

9. Restaurant of this Top Chef Masters competitor as well as a judge at the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Nationals Competition

This is what you look like after about 3 weeks of non-stop eating.

Stay tuned for detailed posts about our experiences at each and every one of these places. Good luck on the giveaway, and have fun guessing. 🙂

Update! Congratulations to Michael for winning the $25 gift card!

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Related posts: Celebrity Chef Dining in Las Vegas

February 10, 2011 Cambridge

Bondir

It was, at most, twenty degrees outside. Weeks of continuous snowstorms had created huge mounds of snow that nearly walled off area businesses from view. The ground was icy; parking was impossible to find (darn snow piles taking all the spots!); and traffic was horrendous.

It is from this hostile, wind-whipping environment that we entered the warm and inviting oasis of Bondir, one of the newest restaurants to open in Cambridge. This was unquestionably one of the nicest, coziest spaces I had ever seen.

The moment you enter, a huge fireplace greets you, roaring and crackling away. The radiating warmth invites you to sit down, take a deep breath, and relax. Comfortable benches and cushions line the open waiting area. A woman sits in the corner - a glass of wine in one hand, a book in another.

Alas, we aren't here just for drinks, so we pull ourselves away from the roaring fireplace and settle into one of the 22 seats in this tiny restaurant.

Amuse Bouche - Chatham Oysters, Rhode Island Periwinkle, Sepia Nori Toast (squid ink/seaweed)

Our server is warm, attentive, and very personable. She raves about the dishes and, you can tell - she is genuinely a huge fan of the food. Though it takes awhile before she finally takes our order, the kitchen is actually quite fast, and moments later our amuse bouche arrives.

Bigger than a typical "bite," this amuse is almost like a small appetizer. The flavors sing of the ocean, complemented by a rich, aromatic sauce and herbs. The oysters and periwinkles (a type of snail) provide a creamy umami that's soaked up by the uniquely flavored toast.

The menu is set up in a way that gives you the opportunity to try many different things. Almost every menu item is available either as a half size "appetizer" portion (which is actually pretty generously sized!) or a full size dinner portion. Bryan orders three half size portions, and I order two halves. This actually turns out to be way too much food (did I say generous?) but alas, the "sacrifices" we make for our readers. 😉

Roasted Kuri Squash, Vegetable Mignardises, Teff Polenta, Mustard Oil 12/23

I love the colorful array of roasted vegetables in my next course. The Teff Polenta (teff is a highly nutritious food grain originating from Ethiopia) is delicious. I'm not exactly sure what spices he used to flavor it, but it works beautifully with the vegetables, which are caramelized and roasted to perfection.

I also learn that I'm not a huge fan of Kuri squash. I find it quite bland, especially compared to kabocha. However, the other vegetables are so good that I'm sure I would absolutely love this dish had it been made with a different squash (which happens quite often on his ever-changing menu).

Herbed Pappardelle, Rapini Greens, Pu-erh-Braised Celery Branch, Confit Duck, and Shaved Scamorza 13/24

All the pastas are handmade and thus have excellent texture. The duck has a very strong "ducky" flavor (which Bryan loves and I don't), which stands up to the rapini (another strongly flavored vegetable) and the shaved Italian cheese, Scamorza.

Hand-Rolled Garganelli, Sour Milk Ricotta, Seared Wild Mushrooms, Fava Leaves, and Olive Oil Toasted Bread Crumbs 13/24

The texture of my hand rolled garganelli is excellent, even chewier than the thinner, more delicate papparadelle. The toasted bread crumbs remind me of similar dishes I had enjoyed while at Beacon Hill Bistro (where the chef worked before opening Bondir). The crunch from the breadcrumbs adds a unique textural component. Overall, the dish is nice - simple, well executed, and just the right size.

Roasted Mallard Duck, Hen-of-the-Woods and Bean Stew, White Flint Corn Meal Cake 15/28

Bryan likes duck so much, he orders BOTH duck items on the menu. As one who doesn't like duck, I can't really comment objectively on this dish. All I can say is that Bryan thought it was very good. The meat was cooked perfectly, with warm, rustic flavors that are just oh-so-satisfying on a cold winter's night.

Wagyu Beef Brisket Sauerbraten, Red Wine-Braised Carrots, Red Cabbage Aigre-Doux,
Black Pepper Pears 16/30

This, my friends, appears to be EVERYONE's (server, front of the house, customers) favorite dish. I can totally see why. The meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender, full of beautifully deep flavors from the red wine, beef jus, and whatever other secret ingredients he's added. I'm sure the marbled Wagyu beef contributes its own fair share! The dish is very very good, and it's easy to see why this is one of the most popular dishes on the menu.

Tangerine Dream, Génoise, Vermouth-Infused Tangerine, Thyme-Buttermilk Ice Cream, Meringue Brulée 9

We end the meal with a lighter dessert (since we were sort of stuffed!). The meringue brulée tastes like a fancy toasted marshmallow, distinctly capturing the nostalgic flavors of childhood. I'd say that the dessert is not "wow" but it's still quite good. The lighter, clean citrus-y flavors act as the perfect finish to a rich, satisfying, and delicious meal.

Meet the Chef!

After the meal, I asked if I could meet Jason Bond (pictured on the left). He was really friendly and actually invited me into his TINY little kitchen (he has a tiny urban kitchen too!!!). I was AMAZED at the level of cooking that happens inside such a tiny little work space.

Every night, it's just two of them in there, cooking up a storm!

I really felt I was crowding them while I was in there.

That night, Dan was on duty as Jason's "right hand man." Here he is, starting up another beet salad.

Jason works really hard. He gets into the kitchen around 9:00 every morning to prepare all the various components of his dishes. Everything is made from scratch - he butchers his own animals, rolls out his own pasta, and makes all of his own breads, sauces, polentas, etc. It's insane and quite labor intensive.

The menu changes daily (you can see all the permutations on their blog) depending on a number of factors such as availability, what's in season, and (of course!) Jason's inspiration.

Not-so-hidden Gem
Honestly, I think this place is a gem for several reasons. It's hard to find that magical combination of warm ambiance, friendly service, a chef truly dedicated to his food, and reasonable prices. Admittedly, the dishes are a bit more conservative and less edgy / inventive than those at other places in this price range. However, the cooking is top notch, the ingredients are excellent, and the food is really good.

We had a delightful time there and definitely plan on returning.

There's no real bar right now (you can get beer and wine), but I think I'm OK with that. It makes the ambiance even more cozy, even more home-like. It's almost like you're eating at someone's house.

Someone with a really really nice fireplace.

Bondir
279A Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139

February 8, 2011 Misc

Giveaway Winners! {Seamless Web}

Il Panino Express

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Snow piles have shrunk in Boston just a tiny bit as the rain over the weekend melted some of them down. I've actually had a chance to go out for a run! There are icy patches and puddles here and there, but it's actually not too bad! A friend of mine is trying to convince me to run a half marathon with her. The furthest I've ever run is a half marathon relay (ha ha, which means you run half of a half marathon), but I might just take on the challenge and take her up on this offer!

Using random.org, I picked two winners to receive Seamlessweb $25 certificates:

Cavitybuster said
"in college, my favorite was the frozen coffee drink from espresso royale on comm ave. i like any type of hot or iced coffee w/cream & sugar."

Diana said
"So far, I like the Intelligentsia beans used at Bloc 11. It's also a very nice place on a sunny day was good music."

Please e-mail me at jen{at}tinyurbankitchen{dot}com to claim your certificates!

Snow Totoro enjoying our last snow storm

February 5, 2011 Uncategorized

9th Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition - New England Regionals

Last night, for the second time in my life, I got to witness something extraordinary.

Eight young culinary students, top students at their own respective schools, came together to compete for the coveted prize of New England Regionals winner at the 9th Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition.

Stakes were huge. The winner would be flown to Napa Valley to represents New England in the Nationals Competition in March. Winner of the Nationals Competition gets $20,000 along with a one year paid apprenticeship from one of the chef judges.

Competitors had only 2 hours to prepare and plate a final dish for the judges to try. The creativity and skills of these young chefs does not cease to amaze me. At an age where most students are trying to figure out how to boil pasta and live on their own, these students are already churning out sous vide meats, homemade gnocchi, and foams. Incredible.

Join with me as I take you on a brief tour of all the dishes that were made and a description of the night's activities, including a brief interview with the winner. 🙂

Cooking began promptly at 3PM for the first contestant. Contestants were staggered by 15 minute intervals, which meant presentations to the judges began at 5PM and continued every 15 minutes until around 7PM.

Our Esteemed Judges!
Top: Michael Prerau of The Food Monkey, Nick Altschuller of the Improper Bostonian, Mary Dumont from Harvest, and Benjamin Knack from The Lanam Club.
For you TV junkies, Mary Dumont competed on The Next Iron Chef this past fall, and Benjamin Knack was one of the four finalists in Hell's Kitchen this past summer.

Middle: Christopher Coombs from Deuxave and Dbar, Chris Douglass from the Ashmont Grill and Tavolo (previous chef-owner of the place where Bryan and I had our first date! ), and Alan Archer from Nestles International.

Bottom Left: writer and editor Louisa Kasdon

Toni Elka (bottom right) from Future Chefs was not a judge, but spoke briefly at the event about her organization, Future Chefs, which provides Boston area youths educational and training opportunities in the culinary arts.

There were also several "Kitchen Judges," mentors and teachers of the students who competed here tonight. Here you can see several of them, taking bites out of a contestant's dish.

The Contestants!
Alas, traffic from Cambridge to Bunker Hill Community College was horrendous (took me an hour to travel about 3 miles), and thus I missed the first several contestants. Nevertheless, I was able to snap a few photos of the remaining chefs in action, and I still managed to photograph all of their food!

Meet the contestants!

Michael Pavloski from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts was the first contestant out. Check out his cute Individual Quail Pot Pies. I really liked the rustic presentation of his dish. It stood out because it looked so different from everyone else's dish.

Elizabeth Agneta from Bunker Hill Community College made Salmon en Croute. Isn't that such beautiful and exquisite plating?

Anthony J. Messina from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts made Squab, Parsnip, Chard, Ras el Hanout, and Pistachio. Though I missed Anthony's presentation, it's hard not to be impressed by the level of detail and thinking that clearly went into designing this dish! Sous vide squab, a foam, parsnip puree, and even the little perfect cubes with the pomegranate seeds.

John T. O'Connell Jr. from Johnson & Wales University made a Lamb Saddle with Hickory Smoked Salt and Root Vegetable Flan. I missed this one as well. I would have loved to try that vegetable root flan!

Adam P. Monette of New England Culinary Institute made Crispy Skin Trout with Braised Fennel and Lentils. He was presenting when I finally arrived at the event. Overall, they seemed to like the seasoning and flavors of the dish.

Joshua J. Ogrdowski from Johnson & Wales Unviersity made Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops with Mushroom Ravioli and Lobster Ragout. I actually had a chance to watch Josh in the kitchen. He was surprisingly calm despite the time pressure and the complexity of his dish. One judge gave constructive feedback about the scallops, suggesting that he consider searing them more to bring out even more flavors.

Patricia A. Whalen from Johnson & Wales University made Proscuitto Wrapper Statler Chicken Breast along with a gorgeous tart filled with asparagus and mushrooms. They commended her on her chicken, which was juicy and perfectly done. One judge mentioned that her tart looked a little underdone (not "GBD - golden, brown, and delicious"), and also asked why she used such out of season vegetables. Another remarked that her dish seemed under-seasoned, and wondered whether she'd had a chance to taste her dish.

Joseph Garrity from New England Culinary Institute made the most beautiful hand rolled gnocchi. I watched him painstakingly roll out the individual grooves in the gnocchi (secretly wishing I could have a taste of that gnocchi!). One judge gave feedback about the skin, saying that it had to be really crispy on the fish, otherwise the texture is rubbery and not very pleasant. Overall, though, the judges were very impressed with his combination of flavors and thought the dish, as a whole, was very well executed.

And then, we waited . . .

Judges!

Matt tabulating all the votes - will it be close?

Matt disclosing the results to the judges.

"Gather around! We are about to announce the winner!"

And the winner is . . . . .

Anthony J. Messina from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts!!! Congrats Tony!!

I had a brief chance to talk to Tony after the competition. Tony is a true Bostonian, born and raised in East Boston. He can turn on and off his Boston accent like that - it's quite funny and endearing at the same time. He tries to turn it off when he's out at events like this, but if he's not careful, it creeps back in!

"I pahked my cah in Hahvahd Yahd . . ."

He told me he practiced the dish three times before coming to the competition. Seeing that many of the contestants struggled with time, I asked Tony whether it took a lot of practice to be able to execute his dish in under 2 hours. He replied saying that, even the first time he practiced, he was already able to execute in under 2 hours.

Guess we have a natural here!

Here's to wishing Tony the best of luck at Nationals! I would love to see a local (he goes to school in Cambridge!!!!) win the entire competition.

Go Tony!

Thanks so much to the folks at S. Pellegrino for giving me the chance to attend this event!

February 3, 2011 China

Happy Chinese New Year! China Series Recap

Great Wall of China

Welcome to the year of the rabbit!

We in Boston are still digging ourselves out of mountains of snow that fell on us the last two days. However, things are definitely looking up. The sun is out today, the snow is melting, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow yesterday! Maybe hopes for an early spring??

As many of you are aware, I have been running a pretty extensive China Series detailing my (two!) recent trips to China this past fall (both during Project Food Blog, no less!). It's taken quite a bit of time to write up all the posts, but I'm nearing the finish line. My last post? A hand-pulled noodle class that I took in Beijing! That particular post is taking a bit longer because I have some neat video footage from the class that I want to put together. [Update - the post is here!]

Stay tuned for that final post to round out this series!

Meanwhile, I've compiled the rest of the posts together in one photo montage. Peruse and enjoy!

Happy New Year!



Wandering the Streets of Beijing	Xian Lao Man (Beijing dumplings)

Made In China (Peking Duck)	Noodle Bar (Hand-pulled noodles)

Bao Yuan Dumpling House	Da Dong (Peking Duck)

Jia Jai Tang Bao (Soup dumplings)	Yang's Fry Dumpling

Din Tai Fung (Beijing and Shanghai!)	Crystal Jade (Shanghai)

Eating at the World Expo	The Best of Beijing Snack Foods

Noodle Loft {Beijing}	An Ode to Noodles and Duck


Shaanxi Cuisine / Terra Cotta Warriors	Lost In Translation

PREVIEWS
China: Lost in Translation

BEIJING

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

SHANGHAI

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)

BEIJING 2nd TRIP
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing
part 13: Noodle Loft {Mian Ku} (Anthony Bourdain favorite)
part 16: The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles - Noodle Making Class in Beijing

SHAANXI / XIAN
part 14: Shaanxi Cuisine and the Terra Cotta Warriors

February 2, 2011 China

Shaanxi Cuisine [Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors]

For thousands of years, the Chinese knew the legend of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China. Emperor Qin ascended to the throne at the young age of 13. Obsessed with wanting to live forever, he began constructing his tomb soon afterwards. Qin wanted to be surrounded by the largest and strongest army possible in afterlife. According to Sima Qian, a well known historian who lived about a century after Emperor Qin (circa 100 B.C.), it took nearly 700,000 men over three decades to build this massive army.

Chinese children grew up hearing stories about a magnificent tomb buried underground filled with thousands of life-sized terra cotta soldiers, precious jewels, and magical rivers.

Imagine the shock and awe when, in 1974, a poor farmer hit upon this tomb while digging for water. For the first time in history, the legend had been validated.

The army was real and incredibly well preserved.

How could such a tomb be so well preserved?

Legend has it that Emperor Qin buried alive everyone that worked on the tomb in order to keep its location secret forever. He was obsessed with living forever. Ironically, he died from drinking a magical "elixir" that was supposed to help him live forever. The elixir was mercury.

Soon after Emperor Qin's death, tomb robbers raided the site, setting it on fire. By some crazy stroke of luck, the ashes and the dirt fell on the soldiers, protecting them from the elements (e.g., oxygen, sunlight) for thousands of years, keeping them nearly perfectly preserved.

Excavation has been going on for about 30 years, although at times the Chinese government decided to stop digging because exposure to the air was causing these soldiers to lose their beautiful lacquered colors. Even though the warriors were brightly colored when they first emerged, exposure to the air caused the colors to disappear within 7-10 days.

Scientists are still trying to figure that out. They've decided to keep some tombs covered until they can perfect the technology.

Rows and rows of unearthed soldiers, still buried and preserved

Three pits of the tomb have now been at least partially unearthed, and thousands of soldiers have been slowly pieced back together.

The variety of soldiers and animals is mind-numbing.

No two faces are exactly the same.

Pictured about is the "Control Room" where higher level generals met.

This massive room (Pit No. 1) is the most impressive of all. Rows of soldiers seem to go on forever. There are estimated to be around 8000 soldiers total, many of whom are still buried.

This guy is called the Lucky One because, to date, he is the only one that was found completely intact. He has become the symbol of the region.

So much work still to do . .

Xi'An Dining
Visting the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'An is a breathtaking experience and totally worth the extra two-hour flight from Beijing. We traveled to Xi'An solely to see this incredible life-sized clay army. We stayed for hours, just soaking in the immensity of the work. No photo can truly capture the sheer massiveness and wonder of seeing the warriors in person.

The Shaanxi region of China (which is where Xi'an is located) has a few well known dishes. Their homemade noodles, especially their hand-pulled noodles, are well known. One deliciously simple dish we tried was the Chili Oil Noodles (油泼面 you puo mian). Essentially, they give you these REALLY WIDE noodles that you hand mix with their addictively spicy sauce.

It's oily, chewy, and oh-so-satisfying after an entire morning and afternoon hanging out with the terra cotta warriors.

The wide noodles are called "biang biang" noodles (see ridiculously complicated character shown above).

Another very classic dish is the mutton stew (羊肉泡沫 yang rou pao muo). The waiter brings out a dry piece of wheat flour bread (almost like a really thick cracker) which you break up into pieces. He then takes the pieces back into the kitchen, to which he adds the rest of the stew.

The stew was hearty and delicious (as long as you like the taste of lamb). I liked the texture of the crackers, which was slightly chewy and quite dense. Pickled garlic also seems to be quite popular.

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to try the third type of well-known Shaanxi dish, the dumpling banquet. It would have been fun to try all the various colorful dumplings that are characteristic of these banquets. Some day . . .

Hoping to return . . .

Xi'an holds what many consider to be the eighth wonder of the world. The site is continually changing as the workers clean up and restore more and more soldiers. It will be so cool to return once they have perfected the technique of preserving the colors on the soldiers.

I would highly recommend making a stop at Xi'an, both for the fascinating history and also for the food. Xi'an was the first capital of China, and therefore has a ton of older Chinese history embedded within those old walls (yes, the inner city is still completely walled! It's really cool!).

Looking forward to the day I return. Until then, I guess I can always pull my own noodles. 😉

This is part 14 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing
part 13: Noodle Loft {Mian Ku}

February 1, 2011 Misc

There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch - or Is There? (GIVEAWAY)

Organic Sushi from Genki-Ya

Free coffee, free lunch.

Remember back in the days of college (ha ha, maybe many of you are still in college!), when any sort of free food would cause stampedes of people, no matter how good or bad the food was?

When I was at MIT one year, they had this thing called the Infinite Buffet. Sort of a play on the Infinite Corridor at MIT (the 2nd longest corridor in the world after the one at the Pentagon), there were promises of food. Lines and lines of endless free food. Infinite amounts of food. A dream for any college student.

Well, it turned out to be disaster, (for me at least). The crowds were insane - seriously, mobs of people shoving their way forward, trying to get at least a bite of the free buffet food. Alas, there really wasn't enough food, and many of us (me included), left basically empty-handed.

Cafe Luna artichoke, sundried tomato, pesto, and fresh mozarella sandwich

Well, today I've been given the opportunity to give away TWO "free lunches." I have two $25 gift certificates to Seamlessweb's new online ordering system. It's pretty neat. You just log in, place your take out order, and - voila! Food arrives at the prescribed time.

Although most of the restaurants on their list are ones I haven't visited before, I did find some places that I didn't expect would have a delivery option, such as Fugakyu, Genki-Ya, Cafe Luna, and places in the North End like Pizzeria Regina, Artu, and Il Panino. You can even get your fix of Chinatown through places like Chau Chau City or China Pearl. Of course, some of the availability depends on how far you live, so definitely check the site. For a $5 discount on your first purchase, use the code FREECOFFEE.

Starting TODAY (and for the next four days), Seamless Web is giving away free coffee all throughout Boston at various locations (Harvard Square, Downtown Crossing, Back Bay). Check out this page for details on when and where.

Giveaway will run from today until Friday, February 4, 2011 at midnight.

To enter the giveaway, comment below your answer to this question:

What's your favorite coffee in Boston or What is your favorite way to enjoy coffee?

Me? We regularly drink Peet's Arabian Mocha Java. LOVE that stuff.

There you have it - a free lunch and a free coffee. 🙂 Good luck!

Il Panino Express - mussels fra diavlo

January 31, 2011 Cambridge

Craigie on Main {The Ultimate Craigie Experience}

I need Runners!

It's exactly 6:30PM in the kitchen at Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA.

One by one, colorful dishes seem to magically appear on the marble counter top. Chef Tony Maws, the captain of this ship they call "Craigie on Main," inspects each one, scrutinizing every last detail to make sure the plating is impeccable. A second man, standing right next to him, repeatedly wipes away any stray bits of sauce from the otherwise pristine plates.

The dishes continue streaming in from the kitchen, crowding existing dishes on the counter.

"RUNNERS! I need RUNNERS!"

In less than 15 seconds, a swarm of waitstaff appear out of nowhere shouting, "Runners are here!"

Like a well-orchestrated symphony full of multiple moving parts, the dishes are whisked away to their respective tables, each one its own delicate sonata of flavors. Within moments, a new line of plated dishes appear, and the process starts all over again.

Welcome to the unique view from the Ringside Seats at Craigie on Main in Cambridge. These special, modern bar stools (there are only four of them!) face the gorgeous open kitchen and are specifically designed for those enjoying the chef's tasting menu.

We were lucky enough to book these Ringside Seats to celebrate Bryan's birthday back in October. Of course, we had to try the Ultimate Craigie Experience, a tasting that we hadn't experienced since Tony was at the old Craigie Street location.

The Ringside Seats offer unparalleled views of the action. The open kitchen is even more hectic than the front counter. Cooks run back and forth, trying not to knock anyone else over, all while shouting out random instructions at the same time.

It was fascinating to watch all this action so up close. You really gain a lot of respect for these line cooks when you see how much work goes into each dish. It's absolutely riveting to watch. It's especially interesting to watch Chef Tony Maws and observe what he generally prefers to do. We noticed he cut a lot of fish that night.

The Ultimate Tasting Menu
The Ultimate Tasting menu is a chance to try all the best that Chef Maws has to offer. Essentially, you're inviting him to just cook for you whatever he wants. A big part of the fun is being surprised by the dishes that he chooses to make.

Craigie on Main is super accommodating when it comes to dietary preferences. I opted to go for a "Pescatarian" tasting menu (vegetarian + seafood) while Bryan went with the normal tasting menu.

First course: A lovely trio of seafood. Tony Maws is a master when it comes to combining flavors. He manages to find flavor combinations that accentuate rather than drown out the flavors of the fish.

Trio of Seafood: clockwise from upper right: 1) squid noodles 2) crispy-fried Essex clam, squid ink anchoïade 3) I can't quite remember, but maybe sweet shrimp or geoduck?

Salad of Hiramasa Sashimi: red onion-shiso salsa. harissa-rose vinaigrette
I love raw fish, so its no surprise that this was one of my favorites.The slight acidity of the vinaigrette, the fattiness of the fish, and the slight texture from the salsa (I love shiso!) came together all in one glorious, fragrant bite.

Maine shrimp, microgreens

Grilled Australian Cobia, Wellfleet and razor clams, whelks

A Fork In the Road
At this point our menus began to diverge. Bryan's meat-centric tasting continued with fresh, chewy homemade pasta, which he loves, with a delicious and hearty meat sauce.

Pappardelle with Lamb Ragout

Ricotta Gnocchi
I absolutely loved my gnocchi. They were unusually large but really soft - you basically cut it with your fork while eating it. I loved the clean, fresh flavor of the ricotta, which I could really taste.

Grilled Pork Belly
This tasting menu was really perfect for us. Bryan was really excited about his next course, the pork belly (which was melt-in-your-mouth incredible), but I was even more excited about my beautiful farm fresh egg!

Farm Fresh Egg

Ragout of local wild mushrooms, farm fresh egg, herbs, flowers

Break the egg open and mix the yolk around! I love this dish, and isn't it just so pretty?

Spanish Octopus
The next dish is another one of my favorites at Craigie on Main, something that's on their regular menu as well. In fact, I made my own interpretation of this dish in my final, winning post in Round 10 of Project Food Blog. Though one particular restaurant in New York might come close, I still think Tony Maws makes one of the best grilled octopus dishes I've ever had.

Grilled Spanish Octopus

Roasted duck breast, huckleberries
Duck always pairs well with fruit, and this was no exception.

Side Dishes
For fun, we ordered a couple of side dishes (these are regularly available at the bar as well, and were not part of the tasting menu). Bryan really likes bone marrow, and I'm a sucker for roasted Brussels Sprouts, even if I do make them at home all the time.

Roasted Bone Marrow

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

And finally, a bunch of desserts!!

Fruit sorbets, sheep's milk yogurt cheesecake (mine), and I can't remember Bryan's dessert (upper left corner). All I remember is that I liked mine more, hee hee.

Florentine Flip, Green Chartreuse, mignardises
Of course we must not forget the drinks! Craigie on Main has amazing bartenders, and we are never disappointed with the drinks they whip up. The Florentine Flip is one of our favorites, though the green Chartreuse was really interesting as well.

Though the kitchen itself is rather hectic, I do think this would be a wonderful and interesting date spot. The Ringside Seats are a bit more secluded, and it's such a unique experience compared to a normal dinner anywhere else.

Even if you don't get the Ringside Seats, the food is still the same no matter where you sit. Tony Maws is an incredible chef, and you definitely won't be disappointed with the food. I would love to go back and try a vegetarian menu some day.

Some Details
Definitely call ahead if you want to try the Chef's Ultimate Tasting menu. On certain nights they want to turn tables quickly, and thus may not be able to accommodate a 3-4 hour reservation (yes, the meal takes a LOOONG time). We unfortunately were denied the opportunity to get the Chef's Ultimate Tasting when we arrived on my birthday on a busy Friday back in 2009. Lesson learned: call head and tell them specifically you want to do the Ultimate 10-course Tasting. Just having a reservation may not be enough.

The Ultimate Tasting costs $115 and consists of around 10 courses (though little freebies are sometimes thrown in). You can opt for the 6-course tasting ($95) if you'd rather not spend so much. For a really good deal, you can try the Chef's Whim tasting menu ($40 for 4 course or $55 for 5 courses) on Sunday evenings after 9PM.

Craigie on Main
853 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617 497-5511

January 29, 2011 Cookies

Reserve Tomato Giveaway WINNER + Boston Bloggers Cookie Swap

Wow! Thanks for all the WONDERFUL ideas for how you like to eat tomatoes. Like many of you, I love a simple caprese salad with fresh tomatoes, basil, burrata cheese, and a simple drizzle of olive oil. Thank you all for your great ideas!

Using random.org, I drew three winners:

Leah said "My favorite way to enjoy tomatoes is this super easy pasta sauce - Tastes like summer!"

Christine said "A really fresh pico de gallo."

Sarah said, "I love making okra and stewed tomatoes over cous cous. So comforting and satisfying 🙂"

Congratulations Leah, Christine, and Sarah! Please e-mail me (jen{at}tinyurbankitchen{dot}com)your mailing addresses so I can get these lovely boxes shipped to you right away.

I leave you with mouthwatering images from a Boston Bloggers Cookie Swap that I attended last weekend. It was great to meet some local bloggers! Thanks so much to Shannon from Tri To Cook for hosting and organizing! Click through to each Boston bloggers' individual site for the recipes!

I made Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies (which I just wrote about a few days ago!)

Kerstin from Cake, Batter & Bowl made Pretzel & Graham Cracker Chocolate Bars

Elina from Healthy and Sane and Russian Bites made Almond Macaroons w/Chocolate Ganache

Cara from Cara's Cravings made PB Butterscotch Rice Krispy Treats

Bridget from Yogurt & Berries made Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Shannon, the host! (from Tri to Cook) made Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cookies. She also made a bunch of small appetizers for us to munch on . . . hee hee hee, to balance out all that sugar!

Have a great weekend!

January 28, 2011 Chinese

Chinese New Year Recipes {Year of the Rabbit!}

Making wishes and setting off "lanterns" at the Taiwan Pavillion at the World Expo in Shanghai, September 2010

The lunar new year is just around the corner! This year we welcome the year of the rabbit on February 3, 2011.

But New Years is hardly a one day celebration! Most businesses and schools close for the entire week as workers travel back to visit their families. In fact, more trips are taken during this period (Spring Festival travel season, "Chunyun" 春運) than the total population of China (yes, 2.26 billion trips taken in 2008!!!). The entire New Year celebration is actually 15 days long, starting with the huge feast on the Eve and ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day.

Food is a huge part of the New Years celebration, with the New Years Eve meal being one of the biggest. Families get together and often enjoy fish (symbolizes abundance), dumplings (symbolizes wealth), and "Nian Gao" (new year cake). Uncut noodles are super popular, as the long noodle represents longevity. Chinese pan fried cakes (typically taro or turnip, but why not pumpkin?) is also associated with the New Year. People eat vegetarian on the 13th day of the New Year, mostly to clean out their stomachs after gorging the rest of the time! On the last day of the new year, everyone enjoys tang yuan 湯圓 (rice balls), one of my favorite foods!

I've compiled a bunch of my Asian recipes together in one visual spread so that you can explore at your own leisure. 🙂 Enjoy!


Mustard Greens	Sauteed Chinese Watercress

Spicy Pork with Sour String Beans	Chinese Chives and 5-Spice Tofu

Crunchy Broccoli Stem Salad	Tea Eggs

Simple Winter Melon Soup	Traditional Winter Melon Soup

Pork & Fishball Noodle Soup	Hand-pulled Noodles

Lion's Head Casserole	Beef Noodle Soup

Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce	Spicy Mapo Tofu

Chinese Sticky Rice	Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice

"Bawan" - Taiwanese "Meat ball"	"Batzang" - Taiwanese Rice Dumpling

Homemade Baos (Mantou)	Traditional Pork Belly Buns (Gua bao)

Savory Asian Pumpkin Cakes	Red Bean New Year Cake (Nian Gao)

Chinese Egg Puffs	Black Sesame Ice Cream

Pumpkin Spiral Mooncakes	Chinese Egg Tarts

It's not to late to enter the Giveaway for a beautiful gift box of reserved tomatoes from Muir Glen! Giveaway ends This Friday, January 28th, 2011.

January 26, 2011 Baking

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

When life gives you Meyer lemons, makes lemon cookies!

I first discovered Meyer lemons last April when they seemed to pop up in every food blog under the sun. A cross between a normal lemon and a Mandarin orange, Meyer lemons are also sweeter, less tart, and have a beautifully floral aroma. They also have a pretty orange colored peel, which could explain why they were such popular decorative plants in China (way before anyone knew the fruit actually tasted good!). Click here to see some cool side-by-side photos of Meyer lemons next to normal lemons.

Why did I decide to make these cookies? Well, a number of reasons: it was the holidays; I had just gotten this really cool letter press stamp and I was dying to try it on some non-leavened cookies; and my friend had some Meyer lemons on hand.

Stuck with limited ingredients in my tiny urban kitchen, we found a simple butter cookie recipe which only involved a few basic ingredients (to which we added our cool citrus twist!). It was so good, I decided to make it again in January for a Boston bloggers cookie swap (more on that later!).

I love this recipe because it's so versatile. You start with this really basic butter cookie recipe and essentially tweak it slightly by adding different sorts of flavors. The cookbook gave examples of add-ins like orange zest, ginger powder, nuts, coconut flakes, or chocolate. The sky's the limit here. Maybe matcha? Or black sesame for an Asian twist?

Of course Meyer lemons work beautifully, creating a shortbread cookie that's actually not that tart and also not too sweet. Light, buttery, and slightly fragrant with the floral scents of Meyer lemons - perfect for a simple, afternoon tea.
Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
You'll need about two Meyer lemons to get enough zest for this recipe. I'd recommend chopping the zest a bit to ensure that the zest bits are small enough to spread out evenly throughout the cookie.

No stand mixer? No need! Mix in the lemon zest with the butter and sugar, and cream away!

It's hard to ensure that your cookies are the same thickness without using special equipment with nicely raised edges. I improvised by using chopsticks, but you can probably use anything that is the right thickness on either side (e.g., thick rulers, thin books, CD case?). In all honesty, I felt that the chopsticks were too thick, and my cookies turned out a bit thicker than I would have liked. I just need to find thinner chopsticks!

Work quickly, because the dough slowly warms up and becomes harder and harder to handle! This becomes especially difficult if you are trying to cut out many cookies! Using a really thin spatula helps tremendously!

Again, I whipped out my cool letter press stamps that I bought in Japan (the same ones I used to make my personalized Thomas Keller Oreos). Aren't these cool? I'm really tempted to make conversation hearts next! [update - I believe Williams Sonoma sells similar ones here]

Bake, cool, and eat!

Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
adapted from The Joy of Cooking

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest, finely grated
1 cup superfine sugar (or process regular sugar in a food processor for 30 seconds)
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter, lemon zest, sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed. Add in the egg yolk until well blended, and then the egg and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add in the flour until just combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to two days).

Preheat oven to 375°F, placing the two racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll out the dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Use either a well floured surface or a Silpat liner and plastic wrap. Cut out shapes using cutters, trying to use up as much dough as possible. The dough should only be re-rolled out once. Alternatively, if you don't have a cookie cutter, scoop cookie dough with a small ice cream scoop and roll out and flatten by hand.

Bake 2 sheets at a time until the cookies are slightly golden brown at the edges (about 6-8 minutes). If your cookies are thicker than ⅛ inch, you may have to bake for longer. After baking, immediately transfer to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

It's not to late to enter the Giveaway for a beautiful gift box of reserved tomatoes from Muir Glen! Giveaway ends This Friday, January 28th, 2011.

January 25, 2011 Cambridge

Tomato Vine Dining Tour with Will Gilson + Giveaway!

Anyone who's been reading this blog for awhile or listened to my interview on NPR would know that I'm a huge fan of Will Gilson, chef of Garden at the Cellar. Bryan and I probably dine there at least twice a month, if not more.

The food quality is excellent, the prices are very reasonable, and . . . those rosemary truffles fries! Will Gilson cares a lot about sustainable ingredients and responsively-raised food. He is fanatical about sourcing quality ingredients, and his menu changes frequently to reflect the freshest local produce available, many of which come from his family's farm in western Massachusetts.

So imagine my surprise when I was invited to a dining tour with Will Gilson in partnership with Muir Glen.

Muir Glen? The company that makes organic canned tomatoes? Canned? Really?

Yes canned. I seem to have forgotten something kind of basic.

There's about 3 feet of snow outside as I am typing this. There's no such thing as local produce during the winter. You can only source produce locally for about 6 months out of the year.

Will explained how during the winter months in New England it's virtually impossible to get fresh local produce. In the past, the restaurant imported canned tomatoes from Italy during these cold months. However, he has since switched to Muir Glen, citing the fact that not only does it taste better, it's being sourced from a place that's at least a bit more local than Italy.

Muir Glen tomatoes are grown in northern California using certified organic methods. For the past two years, Muir Glen has been growing a limited "Reserve" line of tomatoes. These special tomatoes are a different variety than the classic Muir Glen tomatoes. This year, the Reserve variety is the Meridian Ruby, a deep red tomato with a "delectable" tomato flavor.

We got to taste these Reserve tomatoes firsthand. Will prepared a "Tomato Vine Dining Tour" where every single appetizer and entree incorporated Muir Glen tomatoes.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Sweet and Sour Tomato Jam

We started with a bunch of delicious appetizers. Pictured at the top of the post, clockwise starting from the top left: flatbread pizza with smoked tomatoes and roasted cauliflower; grilled bruschetta with tomato, eggplant, and smoked feta; cheddar sandwiches; and tomato soup shooters.

I loved the flatbread pizza (can I tell you how amazing roasted cauliflower tastes on pizza??), though the tomato soup shooters came in a close second. Both the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich are staples on the menu at Garden at the Cellar, which I've ordered often. According to Will, "the tomato soup pays my mortgage during the winter months."

Bryan's favorite was the slow cooked pork belly. Lingbo Li (who I finally got to meet in person!) quipped to Bryan as he munched on what must have been his third or fourth pork belly appetizer, "I love how the tomato jam is, like, sitting on fat."

So true!

Local seafood and tomato stew
We sampled several main entrees which were prepared using the special Reserve Muir Glen tomatoes. The seafood soup was quite good, made with a lobster stock and augmented with mussels, shrimp, and lobster meat.

Braised Lamb with tomato and curry leaf confit
Will cooks his lamb sous vide for about 17 hours before further cooking it with curry leaf (purchased from Shalimar right in Central Square!), edamame, and Muir Glen tomatoes. I thought this dish was only OK. I couldn't really taste the essence of the curry leaf, and I'm not sure how much the edamame added to the entire dish. The overall flavor was fine (the lamb was still very soft!), but nothing particularly exciting.

Pasta with grilled sausage and parmesan
Everyone at the table agreed that the pasta was excellent and probably the universal favorite. It definitely disappeared the most quickly. Will's own housemade sausage was absolutely delicious, and the overall flavor of the sauce was hearty, rustic, and wonderfully satisfying on such a cold winter evening.

As a side note for those concerned about cans, Muir Glen announced this past year that, starting with this past summer's harvest, their tomatoes will use metal cans that do not contain BPA. Although they maintain that there's no proof that BPA is harmful, they want to address their customers' concerns, and therefore have introduced this new type of approved can.

The Giveaway

Muir Glen was kind enough to give me THREE beautiful gift boxes to give away on this blog.

Each gift box contains four cans of Muir Glen tomatoes: two cans of the Reserve line (diced tomatoes and fire roasted tomatoes) and two cans of the the classic organic line (diced tomatoes and fire roasted tomatoes with chipotle).

The best part? Included is a small book containing recipes developed by 5 different chefs around the country (including Will Gilson) for the tomatoes! In this book, you'll get the recipe for Will Gilson's tomato soup shooters, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the sausage pasta!!

This Giveaway will be open until this Friday, January 28th at Midnight. To enter, please comment below and tell me your favorite way of enjoying tomatoes.

Good luck!

P.S. It was great to meet so many Boston bloggers at this event, like Wine Dine With Us, Vegitate, Meal Makeover Moms, Free Food Boston, Travel, Wine, and Dine, Lingbo Li, and A Thought for Food.

January 24, 2011 China

Noodle Loft [Mian Ku]

Once Anthony Bourdain has visited your restaurant, it's really hard to keep quiet about it.

Funny thing is, I don't watch TV. Well, hardly ever. I might occasionally sit down and watch an episode of a food-related show if Bryan has the TV on. Or I'll watch some Boston sports games. But by in large, I almost never watch TV.

So I actually had no idea that Anthony Bourdain had visited this authentic Shanxi noodle restaurant (in Beijing) when I visited last fall. My goal, as always, was just to seek out the best hand-pulled noodles I could find. We picked this place because it was close to our hotel (we had a flight to catch right afterwards!) and came highly recommended by the hotel concierge. In fact, we were cutting it so close we actually brought our suitcases to the restaurant and headed straight to the airport afterwards.

The best part about Noodle Loft is the noodle making show in the open, circular kitchen. Definitely try to get a seat at the bar, or at least on the first floor, where you can see the action.

Noodle Loft focuses on the cuisine of Shanxi, a region that is actually not very well known outside of China. Shanxi cuisine is known for its use of vinegar, lamb, and (of course), it's wide variety of interestingly shaped noodles. In fact, Noodle Loft makes its own special vinegar, using a complicated process that ends with a three year fermentation! This apparently makes the vinegar much more aromatic and slightly sweeter than typical, supermarket vinegar.

The food here is good, and the atmosphere is definitely swankier than your average noodle shop. We loved the fresh chewiness of the handmade noodles. The soup did soften the noodles just a tad, but it was still quite good. Pictured above: the classic beef noodle soup with knife-shaved noodles.

I had originally ordered some simple sauteed greens. Alas, they had sold out, so the waitress recommended the dish pictured above, saying it was very popular. I had no idea what I ordered (my Chinese is still not that great and sometimes I just nod and pretend to know what they are saying) but I must say I really really liked it. The green vegetables were perfectly cooked - crisp, fresh, and just lightly salted. The white fungus-like things (they look like walnuts but they are not) were really good. I just wish I knew what they were. Does anyone know?

We also ordered a simple chili oil noodle dish (油泼面 you puo mian), inspired by a similar dish we had in Xi'an, China just a month earlier. The texture of the noodles was great (even better than the soup noodles, which just a tad softer than I would have liked), and surprisingly, the dish is not nearly as spicy as it looks!

Some may argue that the posh atmosphere makes this noodle place seem less authentic, since typically these humble dishes are served in much simpler environments for a fraction of the cost. Though there may be some truth to that, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some people (like Bryan, ha ha) who prefer the clean, comfortable, and service-oriented atmosphere of this place (not to mention the English menus - a huge plus!), even if it means paying a bit more for your noodles.

At the end of the day, you're still only paying around 80-100 RMB ($11-$13 USD) for two. A steal by by US standards.

20 Xi Dawang Lu
CBD, Chaoyang District, Beijing
tel 8610-67749950
朝阳区西大望路南20号

This is part 13 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing

January 21, 2011 Cookies

Best Artisanal "Oreos"

January is a month that is often associated with new beginnings. Resolutions, goals, a new outlook on life. It's a time to clean out your closet, reorganize, and start anew.

That's almost always impossible for me.

I always travel like crazy around the holiday season. We fly to Southern California (Bryan's family), and then Ohio (my family), and then every year we've been going to CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, which is always the first week of January.

By the time I'm settled back in Boston, January is almost half over. Not only that, my house is a mess and the mail is piled up way beyond any optimal height for physically stability. It takes me a week just to get groceries, clean up, and get back to life.

Meanwhile, we end up eating out a bit more than normal. The funny, sort of strange side effect to that? We stop by a lot of bakeries, which means I've had a unique chance to do something I've always wanted to do.

A tasting of artisanal homemade "Oreos" throughout Cambridge and beyond. 🙂

[source of photo]

OK . . . first thing's first. I should at least acknowledge the cookie that "started it all." I put that in quotes because, in reality, the Hydrox cookie, which basically looks just like an Oreo cookie, was founded first (in 1908). Oreos didn't come around until 1912. Some even accused Oreo of copying the Hydrox cookie.

Some interesting facts: Oreos were introduced to China only in 1996. By 2006 (after Nabisco changed the recipe by reducing the sugar), the Oreo became the best selling cookie in China. China is now the second largest market for Oreos, right behind the US.

I admit, I do love the taste of the Oreo chocolate cookie, and "cookies & cream" is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. However, I've always disliked the sugary center, thinking it's too sweet. I wonder if I would like the ones from China . . .

More recently, I've come to realize that "Oreos" from real bakeries are nothing like the packaged cookie we've all come to love. They're better! Here's the lowdown on my opinions for some local (and not-so-local) chocolate sandwich cookies that I've tried recently.

First stop: Hi Rise Bread Company
Hi Rise is one of my all time favorite sandwich shops in Boston. They also make an absolutely heavenly vanilla loaf. The other day (while stopping by to pick up yet another vanilla loaf), I saw these cute little guys in the window.

Of course I had to get one . . or . . uhh, actually three (heh heh).

I love the smaller size of this cookie. It's much more manageable than a typical bakery cookie, which is often really huge! The cookie part is thick and chocolately - definitely made with butter! Unfortunately, the cream part was just a bit too sweet and sugary for my tastes. I was almost tempted to scrape off the white part, something I'd always done as a child with real Oreo cookies (which taste like pure sugar to me). Though it's still 10x better than a packaged Oreo cookie, I think I'll still stick with the vanilla loaf here.

Second Stop: Flour Bakery
The cookies at Flour are significantly bigger than the ones at Hi Rise. They are sized more like a typical cookie, about 3 inches in diameter. The chocolate cookie was very good, comparable to the one at Hi Rise. The cream, however, was more buttery and a little less sweet than the one at Hi Rise. I did not feel the need to scrape off the sugar of this one.

Overall, the Flour Oreo is a fine choice, and I wouldn't mind getting it again. The overall cookie is still sweet, so I'd probably order a nice cup of coffee to go with it.

Third Stop: Bouchon Bakery
There are only three Bouchon Bakeries in the world: Yountville, New York, and Las Vegas. Thomas Keller is the brains behind this delectable bakery. I have always loved the macarons at Bouchon. However, it was not until much later that I decided to try their oreos, which are called "TKO's" (Thomas Keller Oreos).

This, my friends, is the pinnacle of Oreo goodness. The cookies at Bouchon really reach a higher level of sophistication. Every single cookie is beautiful and perfectly formed, with precise fluted cookie edges and 6 flattened spheres of cream.

I loved the flavor of the overall cookie. Of course, the chocolate cookie had a lovely, deep rich chocolate flavor. The cream part is made with white chocolate and butter, which enhance the richness while cutting down on the "sugary" feel of the filling.

I definitely prefer it this way!

Furthermore, the cookies have just a tad of salt added to them, which actually enhances the flavor quite a bit. Overall, this is my favorite chocolate sandwich cookie, and I always seek it out if I'm in a city with a Bouchon.

Fourth Stop: My Own Kitchen

Alas, I'm sort of cheating here, as I used a recipe from Bouchon Bakery to make my own TKO's at home. The recipe makes a chocolate cookie that is not very sweet at all. In fact, there's a healthy amount of salt in the recipe, and thus the chocolate cookies don't really taste that good on their own. They're too salty!

However, when you pair the chocolately cookies with the white chocolate cream, the resultant cookie is absolutely delicious. The salt in the cookie really helps balance the sweetness of the cream.

Alas, I've still got a long way to go before I can make cookies as beautiful as the ones from Bouchon Bakery. Nevertheless, the homemade cookies are still very good, and are quite effective at satisfying any TKO cravings that I might have.

Recipe here.

Have a great weekend!

January 20, 2011 Meat

Sous Vide Chicken with Pesto

We were curious. Very very curious.

We'd heard amazing, almost fantastically amazing things about sous-vide chicken. All over the internet, people raved about its unique, velvety, almost "melt-in-your-mouth" tenderness. They said it was nothing like normal chicken. "You'll never be able to eat normal chicken again."

This miraculous chicken was supposed to be juicy, succulent, flavorful, and moist.

Really? We were skeptical, yet intrigued at the same time.

Admittedly, the sous vide machine had already done wonders for scallops, not to mention the perfectly cooked steak, delicious custard-like eggs, and duck confit. Even the sous vide salmon I had made from a hacked water bath system had really incredible texture.

But chicken breast? Which is inherently bland, tasteless, and boring?

Just a tiny bit of background - cooking food sous vide is essentially cooking food in a vacuum sealed plastic bag in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. If you want gory details (e.g., some history & science), visit this post, where I cook a multi-course meal, complete with Thomas Keller (French Laundry) and David Chang (Momofuku) recipes, completely using the sous vide technique.

Although the official instruction manual tells you to cook the sous-vide chicken at 146 ° F, I was pretty convinced (after poking around the internet a bit) that 140 ° F was the way to go if I wanted a juicier, softer result.

140 ° F is right on the edge of the danger zone (between 40 ° F and 140 ° F). Typically, if you cook at temperatures below 140 ° F, you run the risk of bacteria growth. This is why any meat cooked in that "danger zone" should not be cooked for more than 4 hours.

Making this chicken was really really simple. I basically vacuum sealed the chicken (after seasoning with a bit of salt & pepper), and dropped it in the machine for one hour. After it's done, remove from the bag, slice, and serve with your favorite sauce.

Verdict?
Sous vide chicken is definitely different from traditionally cooked chicken. It's much more plump, soft, and juicy. Because the water bath is held at a constant temperature, you can't really overcook the meat that easily.

However, I would hardly call it a transcendent experience.

Bryan's reaction?

"It's good, but not as amazing as people make it seem."

"Just tastes like really good poached chicken."

True. At the end of the day, it's still tastes like chicken. Sure, it's much juicier, and much more evenly cooked. It's definitely got better texture than traditionally grilled chicken, though some (like Bryan!) would argue that a good poached chicken tastes equally juicy and soft.

With the sous vide technique, however, there are some advantages. I do like how you don't have to worry about it while it's cooking. If you leave the meat in the water bath for a little longer, it won't really overcook. It's best for dinner parties where you don't know exactly when the guests you will arrive, but you want the food to be perfectly cooked right after they arrive. Furthermore, unlike poached chicken, all of that chicken-y goodness stays right in the bag. The flavors won't dissolve into the water bath during the cooking process.

Sous Vide Chicken with Pesto
1 boneless chicken breast
salt and pepper
homemade basil pesto

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Seal in a foodsaver bag and cook sous vide at 140 ° F for at least an hour. If using skinless breast, just slice and serve or brown the breast briefly (mostly for color). If there is skin, brown the skin in a hot pan with a little bit of oil for about 1-2 minutes until browned.

Top with homemade pesto and/or serve over pesto pasta.

For more general background of sous-vide as a cooking technique, please refer to this post.

Enjoy!

January 19, 2011 Boston

Teranga

Growing up, my exposure to international cuisines was limited, to say the least.

Perhaps it's because I was raised by immigrants, and thus mostly ate Taiwanese food at home. Or, maybe it's because, when our family did eat out, we almost invariably ate mediocre "Chinese" food, pizza, or your typical Midwestern suburban buffet.

I still remember trying my first falafel (from a food truck, no less!) when I arrived in Boston for school. What delicious exotic flavors! Hummus? What a neat concept! I can still picture my first meal at a Korean restaurant (also around college time). I marveled at all those little freebie appetizers that kept appearing on the table, plate after plate after plate. What treasures! Why don't other cuisines do this?

Over a decade later, the journey still continues.

Imagine my excitement the other day when I found out that Boston opened its first authentic Senegalese restaurant. The food of Senegal is really really interesting. Because of its unique history, Senegalese cuisine incorporates aspects of French, Asian, Arabic, and African cuisine.

Can you even imagine how one lumps all those cuisines together?

Thiébou Djeun (National Dish) -15
Herb-stuffed white fish cooked in tomato stew with broken jasmine rice served with cassava, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, and pumpkin

We were so surprised when we got our appetizers and saw things that looked like spring rolls ("nems" pictured at top). Not only did they look like spring rolls, they were filled with rice vermicelli, beef, chicken, carrots, scallions, and dried mushrooms! That sounds almost downright Asian!

Oh . . and you dipped them in Nuoc Mâm! Yes, the Vietnamese sauce!

Why Vietnamese?
As former French colonies, Vietnam and Senegal actually have several links throughout their history. Senegalese men served in Vietnam as soldiers from France, many of whom married local Vietnamese women. In the 1990's, several groups of Vietnamese people sponsored by the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Program went to Senegal to teach the Senegalese various agricultural practices (such as beekeeping) and food ideas (such as how to make Nuoc Mâm).

Michoui 17
Marinated roasted lamb shank served with a caramelized onion sauce and Moroccan couscous

We really enjoyed all of the appetizers. In fact, they turned out to be our favorite part of the meal. I loved the Croquettes de Poisson (pan fried fish cakes), which were served with this absolutely addictive cilantro garlic sauce. The Accara (black eye pea fried cake) was also really really good.

We tried two really unique sounding drinks. The Bissap juice is sorrell juice (petals of a flower) mixed with pineapple juice. The Bouye juice was made from baobab tree fruit mixed with cream. Both are flavored with orange flower water and vanilla sugar. Though a bit too sweet for my tastes, I think the juices are still really unusual and definitely interesting to try.

Mafé 14
Lamb stew with carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and cabbage in a ground nut sauce and served with jasmine rice

The main entrées were delicious as well. The Michoui lamb shank was fall-off-the-bone tender and worked really well with the caramelized onion sauce. Likewise, we really liked the ground nut sauce in the Mafe (lamb stew).

The only dish we did not like was the national dish, Thiébou Djeun. The waitress had cautioned us that the fish is cooked "really really well" - something not everyone likes. I guess that should have been a warning. The fish definitely was waaay overcooked, although I have a feeling this is the authentic way to prepare this dish. The fish was very tough and dry, and not really fun to eat at all. I would skip this if you like any moisture in your fish. Despite the disappointment with the fish, I really liked the texture of the "broken Jasmine rice" that accompanied the fish.

Thiacry 6
Thin pudding made with couscous, tropical fruits (optional) and raisins in a vanilla-cream sauce

Dessert was the Thiacry, which was like a watery rice pudding made with couscous. To be honest, I thought it was quite average, and I much prefer normal rice pudding. But then again, this is most likely a cultural preference.

Impressions
Overall, it was really really fun and interesting to try such a unique cuisine right here in Boston. The word "teranga" actually means "hospitality" in Wolof (one of their main ethnic languages), and the service at Teranga lives up to that meaning. The staff is super friendly and the ambiance is warm and cozy. It can get quite crowded on weekends, so come on a weeknight if possible.

Some say that Senegalese cuisine is one of the best in Africa, largely because of its diverse influence from different cultures. I thought it was fascinating to see how local African ingredients (like cassava) could co-exist peacefully with seemingly really Asian ingredients (like nuoc mam and rice vermicelli!).

It's a neat (and tasty!) lesson in seeing how geography, history, and migration patterns can have such an effect on food.

Teranga
1746 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02118

January 15, 2011 Vegetables

Romanesca Cauliflower

Fractal - noun
A complex geometric pattern exhibiting self-similarity in that small details of its structure viewed at any scale repeat elements of the overall pattern

Have you seen this curious looking vegetable? It's sort of a relative of both the broccoli and the cauliflower, though it's quite unique in one very special way.

It's nature's version of a "fractal," a geometric pattern where the buds form logarithmic spirals. More specifically, the entire vegetable is a huge spiral composed of smaller conical buds that are each a mini-spiral. You end up with this spiralmania where tiny spirals combine to form bigger spiral cones, which combine to form even bigger spiral cones . . . you get the picture?

This differs from a real fractal in that these spirals are finite, limited by physical size.

So what to do with this funny looking mathematical model?

Well, you can slice it in half, for starters.

Don't they resemble little Christmas trees?

So cute!

In many ways, this cruciferous, less-famous cousin of the Broccoli and Cauliflower is quite similar to cauliflower in both texture and flavor. You can use it in any recipe that uses cauliflower, or even broccoli! Just don't overcook it, as it will actually take on quite an unpleasant taste!

Me, I decided to use my favorite cauliflower recipe.

It's simple, delicious, super healthy, and just a slight twist from the daily routine. And who's going to object to a little drizzle of truffle oil on top?

Fun!

P.S. Also known as Romanesca Broccoli, Romanesco Cauliflower, Romanesco Cauliflower, Roman Cauliflower, Summer Cauliflower, Broccoflower, Coral Broccoli

Sadly, these things have a super short season (like Sept-Nov), so they are probably pretty hard to get now. Next year!

January 14, 2011 China

The New Gastronomy Fiesta

Fifteen Michelin Stars. One week.

Together, five of Spain's top chefs from the Basque region (a region known to have among the best food in the world) worked together to create a tasting menu of a lifetime.How often do you get to sample dishes from five Spanish Michelin-starred chefs in one meal? In one room?Not only that, they're ALL in the kitchen, cooking for you.Unreal.

Bryan and I felt like the luckiest kids on the block when we found out we happened to be in Shanghai during the culminating week of the New Gastronomy Fiesta, a seventeen week long celebration of Spanish food sponsored by the Spanish government in conjunction with the World Expo in Shanghai.

Each week, the program highlighted a different region of Spain by bringing in Michelin-starred chefs specializing in those regional cuisines. These chefs created a tasting menu, which was served at a restaurant called Acqua in the Cuban-owned Gran Melia hotel in Pudong (the eastern side of Shanghai).

We went during the week celebrating the food of the Basque Region. This unique region in Spain sits right on the border of France, and thus draws influence from both countries. It's located close to both the mountains and the sea, giving chefs abundant access to some of the freshest seafood, produce, and quality cured meats. It's no surprise that the Basque region holds more Michelin stars than any other region in Spain.

A little background on the chefs, shall we?

In order, from left to right:

Andoni Aduriz, chef of the two-Star Michelin restaurant Mugaritz, experiments with food like he's playing with a chemistry set. He developed the now iconic "potato stones" and "chocolate bubbles." Potato stones look like shiny rocks but taste creamy and soft. Chocolate bubbles burst spontaneously soon after they've been served, delightfully surprisingly the diner.

Pedro Subijana was born in San Sebastian and has been a renowned chef for quite some time. His 3-Star Michelin restaurant, Akelare, also sits atop a mountain overlooking both water and prairies. He has received numerous honors throughout his career for both his food and also his TV programs!

Juan Mari Arzak is chef owner of Arzak and is widely considered one of the masters of New Basque cuisine. His namesake restaurant, Arzak, has 3 Michelin Stars. He's won awards for making Basque cuisine "one of the most innovative of the world."

Martin Berasategui is another innovator when it comes to contemporary Basque cuisine. He also plays around with molecular gastronomy, creating dishes like "cheese and carabaoa oil bubble with endives, red onion juice, and Iberian bacon." Between his restaurants Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, and M.B., he has a total of 6 Michelin Stars.

Eneko Atxa, chef owner of Azurmendi (1 Michelin Star), is one of the youngest and most innovative chefs cooking in the Basque tradition. He has also won numerous prestigious awards, such as "Chef of the Future" by the International Academy of Gastronomy, an award given only to the most promising and innovative chefs.

We had a choice of the "small" tasting or the "large" tasting. Well, the large tasting had more courses to try, so of course we went with that one. 🙂

Voila . . here's our meal, course by course.

Note - the descriptions of the dishes are taken straight off the menu. They lack the normal finesse you'd see in a menu with food of this caliber. I would just attribute this to poor translation, which is not uncommon in China.

Rice souffle with hake cake, Fish mousse with lotus flower, and Pineapple with red pepper
These were fun little bites, although they didn't blow me away as being super innovative.

Fois triangles with melon

Red shrimp bunch with corn soup
Many of the dishes had slight Asian bents, and we started to wonder whether we were really tasting dishes that were representative of what these chefs would make back in Spain. Perhaps they were trying to cater to the local Chinese palate?

Baby squid soup

Clams with peas in green sauce
This was one of my favorite dishes. I love the "pop" of fresh peas, and in this dish they went really well with the juicy clams and the aromatic clam broth.

Sea bass with leek ash

Beef brochette with oat and Saracen wheat
We were both really impressed with this dish. I was surprised how much I liked "Saracen wheat" (whatever that is). It reminded me of some sort of popped brown rice. It had beautifully toasted and grainy aromas plus a nice crunch that I just loved.

Pork cheek with nuts and dried fruit scent

"Fruit Bubbles"
This dessert was just fun, and I'll bet it was devised by one of the more molecular gastronomy-focused chefs. This special mango-flavored puree bubbled up (most likely due to dry ice / frozen carbon dioxide), adding a unique and dramatic spin to the presentation.

Creamy eggs with cava
Cava is Spanish sparkling white wine, and I found this dish to be really unusual and interesting. I've never had "fizzy" jello before, but the cava "gel" (for lack of a better word) underneath still retained the fizziness of the original drink, which was really interesting. This dish was fun to try, with interesting flavors and textures.

Les Mignardises / Petit Fours and Coffee
Finally, we ended our relaxing and long meal with a few cookies and chocolates plus a nice, strong cup of espresso.

It had been raining all afternoon, so it was actually a perfect day not to be at the World Expo. Instead, we enjoyed a long, lazy 10-course lunch in Shanghai (we had been unable to make any dinner reservations - all sold out for the week!)

Although we enjoyed the meal a lot, in many ways, it seemed like a compromise. Perhaps it's because the five chefs had to somehow work together to make one menu, and thus no one could really be his creative, unleashed self. Or perhaps it's because they didn't have access to their local ingredients. Or perhaps it's because they were trying to cater to local Chinese tastes. Whatever the reason, the meal was interesting and fun, but it did not knock our socks off like other three-Star Michelin meals we've tried.

Nevertheless, trying this meal and reading about the Basque region really really makes me want to visit Spain! The region sounds picturesque and almost romantically unreal. Soaring mountains on one side, the sea on the other, plus the fertile Ebro valley that produces so much good crop - just the ingredients alone probably taste better than what we can get here in the US (and definitely the East Coast!).

Add to that the plethora of excellent chefs that have restaurants in the area, you've got an amazing foodie destination that surely won't disappoint.

I'm glad I got to experience a tiny taste of that in Shanghai. 🙂

Total cost: 788 RMB + 15% gratuity per person (about $136 USD total each)

This is part 13 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi {Nine Gates Snack Street} - the Best of Beijing Snack Food

January 12, 2011 Beijing

"Jiu Men Xiao Chi" {Nine Gates Snack Street} - The best of Beijing Street Food

Sweet potato chips - about $1.30 USD for a huge bag

I have this thing for snacks.

I've never been a "three big meals" sort of person. If it were up to me, I would just snack my way through the day, never really sitting down for a proper meal. My favorite ways to enjoy an actual meal is in the style of dim sum or tapas, where I get to sample many tiny bites of a wide variety of things.

shao bing - sesame layered biscuit - about 10 cents each

As you may know, I've been doing this extensive series on China. I actually visited China twice this past fall. The first trip was a vacation that Bryan and I had planned months ago. We did all the touristy things - visited the Great Wall, saw the Terra Cotta Soldiers in Xi'An, and explored Shanghai and the World Expo.

The second trip was completely unexpected. Bryan found out last minute that he needed to go to China and Japan for business. Since I had several vacation days left to spare, I decided to come along with him.

Going on a trip where one person needs to work most of the time is really really different from a normal vacation. I found myself alone most days (and certain nights!). In some ways it's a bit lonelier, but in other ways, it's rather freeing as well.

I took these opportunities to do something I love that Bryan always hates - skipping meals in lieu of snacks!

Opened in 2006, "Jiu Men Xiao Chi" is named after the nine gates surrounding old Beijing in the Forbidden City. It's a building that houses many of the most famous street vendors in Beijing. Many of these vendors are actually descendants of imperial chefs and have been making their signature snacks for generations.

For decades, dozens of these vendors sold their famous snacks at Menkuang Hutong, an old alleyway right outside of Qian Men. In 2006 the area was demolished to make way for shiny new high-rises in anticipation of the 2008 Olympics.

There was a huge outcry as people responded in anger at the loss of such storied favorites. Fortunately, the government invited eleven of the most famous vendors to move to a new indoor enclosed area built to mimic the original outdoor alley next to Qian Men.

Though "Jiu Men" does not have quite the same atmosphere as the original street market, many of the vendors are still the same and, more importantly, the food is still the same.

I spent an entire afternoon in Hou Hai, the touristy lakeside area where this foodstall restaurant now resides. I had tons of fun ordering various different snacks. I only wish I were with more people so I could have tried more things. Nevertheless, here are a few of the classic Beijing Street snacks that I tried.

Candied Sweet Potato Chips

These candied chips are sweet, sticky, and more chewy than crunchy. They are pretty good, though I prefer the simple crunchy salted ones (pictured up top) that I picked up from another street vendor a few days later.

Dou Zhi - fermented mung bean juice

It doesn't sound appetizing; it sure doesn't smell appetizing; and . . . it tastes awful! Nevertheless, Beijingers slurp up this sour watery soup that sort of reminds me of dishwater that's gone bad. They think it's cleansing and good for your body, full of probiotics and fermented goodness, perhaps? It boggles my mind, but as a fearless and adventurous food enthusiast, I had to try it.

Muslim Snacks

In the original area around Qian Men, there was a specific Muslim section where Muslim type snacks were sold. Inside Jiu Men, they have converted a special section into the old Muslim "street". There is even a sign warning you not to bring meat into the special area.

I tried a bunch of Muslim snacks, which were pretty good. The fried rolled up swirls (above) tasted sort of like egg rolls. Light, crispy, with just a hint of some Indian spices.

More Muslim Snacks

I mostly just pointed at snacks I wanted to try, since my Chinese reading skills are quite elementary. Most of the snacks were fried, like the doughnut-like fried ring, which I think I was supposed to dip into the fermented mung bean water above, sort of like a twisted version of you tiao (fried cruellers) and dou jiang (soy milk). The other circular pretzel-like snack was sugary and sort of gummy and chewy. All of the snacks were reasonably tasty, though I did not love any one to order again.

One of my favorite savory items was this stir-fried mung bean jelly cake. It was a bit greasy, but I just loved the addictive flavors of the spicy hot sauce she used in the dish (maybe there was some MSG in there?). The dish was satisfyingly hot, savory, and spicy. The little bean sprouts throughout gave just the right amount of crunch to the dish. Loved it.

Stir-fried Mung Bean Jelly with Bean Sprouts

Don't Forget Dessert!

Nai lao - rice wine yogurt with red bean

Nai lao is a light and delicate milk-based yogurt that hails from imperial times. In fact, Wei Hongchen introduced this dessert to the general public in 1888, using the secret nai lao recipe he had obtained from the Qing imperial kitchen.

I really love this stuff. It's much lighter and more delicate than a traditional American custard. In fact, it's just made with just rice wine, milk, and sugar. There's no eggs. Instead, all you taste is the pure essence of milk, with just a hint of the sweetness. The texture is extremely delicate, like a very unstable custard that could break at any moment.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I had tons of fun exploring my way around Jiu Men Xiao Chi. I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you want to experience some traditional Beijing snacks! It's pretty clean, and the food is very fresh due to the popularity of the place. If you are adventurous, you can even try some of the more interesting dishes they have, such as Feng's boiled beef stomach or Chen's boiled pork intestines and lungs.

But even if you're a bit squeamish, there are plenty of delicious "normal" snacks to try! I would highly recommend ordering the stir fried mung bean jelly cakes (if you can take spicy), try a few random snacks just by pointing to what looks good, and end with a light and creamy cup of nai lao.

Who needs a fancy sit-down meal when you can have such good food right off the "street"?

😉

The Details
You don't pay directly with cash. Instead, you purchase a card at the front entrance on which you put money (fully refundable). I would recommend spending around 100 RMB ($15 USD) if you don't want to run out of money. You are required to keep a 10 RMB minimum on the card, otherwise, no one will accept your card. I think I ended up spending around 60-70 RMB total - by far not the cheapest prices in China, but still quite reasonable by American standards.

I took a taxi here (since I didn't know how to get here by myself), but I ended up finding a subway nearby that took me home. The subway is reasonably close by and much cheaper (subway rides typically cost around 2 RMB a ride, about 30 cents).

Usually Jiu Men is packed and lines can get long. However, I beat the crowds by showing up around 3PM (Yes, I realize the signs say they are not open at this time, but I swear, that is when I went). I had the whole place to myself, with the vendors actually hawking at me, trying to get me to buy their foods.

1 Xiaoyou Hutong, north side of Houhai (next to Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling)
Xicheng District
Opening hours: 10:30 am-1:30 pm, 5 pm-9 pm.
Tel: 010-64025858

This is part 12 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)

January 10, 2011 China

Crystal Jade {Shanghai, China}

Dan dan mian with hand pulled noodles

If only franchised Chinese food chains in the US were this good.

Yes, Crystal Jade is a well known restaurant group that actually originates out of Singapore. They have multiple locations throughout Asia, including Singapore, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou), Hong Kong, Thailand (Bangkok), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), Korea (Seoul), Indonesia (Jakarta) and Japan (Tokyo). They make everything from sweet bakery items to savory dim sum dishes.

It may seem a bit weird to be visiting a Singaporean chain while in Shanghai. However, many have claimed that this place has some of the best dim sum (both Cantonese and Shanghainese) that Shanghai has to offer. Not wanting to miss out on some of the best food in Shanghai, we came here for our first meal right after hopping off the plane from Xi'An.

There are multiple Crystal Jade locations in Shanghai, but the one at Xin Tian Di was only a few minutes away via cab (which are very inexpensive in China!), located in the same shopping complex as Din Tai Fung.

It's great to be really hungry if you're going to be visiting this place, because you'll have a hard time narrowing down what you want to order! Come with a group of friends, if possible, so you can share a bunch of things!

We were very very impressed with the food here. This is a great place to visit if you want to try a variety of dim sum items, all executed with expert precision, quality, and care. The xiao long baos (soup dumplings) had a nice, thin skin that did not break at all. These were light years better than any dumpling we'd ever had in Boston, and definitely closer in rank to the likes of Din Tai Fung and Jiai Jia Tang Bao. Similarly, the daikon pastries and steamed buns were also delicious.

We also tried this new type of . . . sandwich? . . . that we'd never had before. It reminded me of Peking duck in some ways, but made with pork instead. First, they brought out a plate full of the barbecued pork, cucumbers, and fried tofu crisps? I'm not sure what the last ingredient was. Help! Does anyone know?

The waitress then brought some flat steamed bread that had the consistency of Chinese mantous (steamed bread). She proceeded to construct a "sandwich" for us, placing pieces of pork, cucumber, and crispy tofu skin in between the bread.

The resulting little "pocket" was by far my favorite dish of the evening! I loved the interplay of textures between the soft, warm bread, the layered tofu crisps, the crunchy cucumbers, and the chewy pork. The flavors came together nicely as well, with the sweet and rich pork contrasting nicely with the light and crisp cucumbers. I really could have ordered two of these.

We also got a side dish of tofu noodles, edamame, and mustard greens, which was forgettable. We basically ordered this in a vain attempt to be healthy. I'd skip this unless if you are really feeling guilty about all the rich foods you've been eating!

Another favorite was the wontons in spicy chili sauce (hong you chao shou). I love the spicy kick of the hot oil, and the pork dumplings were juicy and flavorful as well.

Finally, we tried the hand pulled dan dan noodles (pictured up top). These had good texture, although we both decided that we didn't love the thick, sesame-like flavors of the dan dan mian. It's probably a matter of personal preference, but I found it a bit rich and heavy for my tastes.

In general, you really can't go wrong with Crystal Jade. Some claim that it's still not quite as good as the best dim sum in Hong Kong or Singapore, although in the same breath they say that it comes quite close. Having never really done that comparison, I can't comment on that. What I can say is that the dim sum is excellent, probably better than most, if not all, of the dim sum that is available in the US.

Plus, I think "close" to the best dim sum in the world is reason enough to visit, n'est-ce pas?

Highly recommended.

Notes: Apparently this place is very popular and can sometimes be super crowded. Definitely try to make a reservation if you can, or arrive a bit earlier. The menu is written in English (which is helpful!) and the service is excellent. You can easily reach Xin Tian Di by cab or by subway (Xin Tian Di stop on Line 10 or South Hangpi Road on Line 1). Check rail times! Line 10 just opened in April and has limited hours. We learned the hard way that it closes pretty early (like 8 PM or something) and got stuck having to hail a cab from another random station!

Crystal Jade
2/F South Block Xintiandi Ln
123 Xingye Lu
Shanghai, China 200031
上海市卢湾区兴业路123弄

This is part 11 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo

January 7, 2011 China

Eating At the World Expo (Shanghai)

One way to taste a variety of cuisines around the world is to fly from region to region, country to country, scoping out the best foods from each location. Though super fun, most of us would go broke pretty fast if we tried that approach.

Another way is to have all these places come together in one single location.

The World Expo is a unique international fair that occurs once every five years. It is an extravagant event that lasts for months, where countries come together to exhibit to the rest of the world various aspects of their people, their culture, and, of course, their food!

Bryan and I visited Shanghai during the 2010 World Expo back in September. On top of learning a lot about the various countries, we also had some pretty unique food experiences!

I'm cheering for joy in the picture above because I finally found "China Food Street." What's China Food Street? Just imagine . . . a huge room full of various food stalls representing all the different provinces of China. Seriously, what better way to sample the cuisines throughout China in one afternoon than here?

Off we went . . . .

China Food Street was huge, with stalls after stalls representing all the different regions.

Beijing had its own stall, and featured the famous Peking duck from the inventor of the Peking Duck, Quanjude peking duck.

We went around 5:30PM, which turned out to be an excellent idea, because later the place would be absolutely MOBBED! [Navigating a place that's mobbed in China is NO FUN!]

As there were only two of us, we were limited in the number of dishes we could try (SAD!). We wanted to try less familiar dishes from regions we didn't know as well. Here's a sampling of what we tried.

We have a friend from the province of Hubei, so we thought it would be fun to try some snacks from her region. She confirmed that the dishes we tried were very authentic. Pictured above, glutinous rice wrapped in a deep fried tofu skin. On the right, glutinous rice wrapped with a rice flour wrapping. Both were delicious, dominated mostly by the flavors from the sticky rice.

Since Bryan loves fresh handmade noodles so much, the next dish we tried was a noodle soup made using knife shaved noodles.

Finally, we had to try the Peking duck from Quanjude, the most famous Peking duck place in Beijing. Quanjude essentially invented the modern Peking duck as we know it today.

Quanjude was established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty. The first Quanjude manager, Yang Renquan, took the imperial recipe for Peking duck and used it to open the first Quanjude in Beijing, thus introducing this amazing dish to the common folks.

We didn't think it was nearly as good as other Peking duck places we tried in Beijing, but then it's not exactly fair to compare a food court stall with a fancy sit-down place.

Other Worldwide Tastes
We snacked our way around the Expo, never really wanting to take the time out to sit down for a proper meal during the day. There was too much to see!

One of my favorite European cookies is the Dutch stroopwafel. This is a sandwich cookie composed of a chewy caramel center between two thin wafers. I used to love buying them at Trader Joe's (cheapest source I could find) and could easily eat many of these chewy cookies in one sitting.

I think I gasped out loud when I saw the people at the Netherlands Pavilion making these fresh. FRESH? I'd never seen them made fresh. of course I took tons of pictures and bought several.

More than once, Bryan and I opted to visit casual Taiwanese lunch spots. There's something about the traditional Taiwanese braised meat sauce over rice (lu ro) that I find so comforting and satisfying. Maybe it reminds me of home!

Below, I am enjoying a traditional Taiwanese meat sauce dish over rice, complete with a soy sauce egg, a pickled daikon, and some peanuts on the side. Best part? A HUMONGOUS bowl of shaved ice with red bean and condensed milk. Shaved ice is also so classic Taiwanese!

This is not exactly food, but it's food related. Food is Singapore (especially their street food) is so good and so well known, the Singapore Pavilion actually had a little interactive exhibit on their food.

You had to play the drums to the beat. If you did it fast enough, pictures of Singaporean food would light up on the dishes up ahead. It was kind of cute, ha ha, probably geared towards kids, but that didn't stop me!

49 Michelin Stars?

Finally, the Spanish Pavilion sponsored a really incredible eating series during the Expo. Every week, a different set of Michelin-starred Spanish chefs would fly to the Expo to prepare a tasting menu at the Gran Melia hotel. This "gastronomic program" totaled 49 Michelin stars when you took into account all the chefs that were participating.

Bryan and I didn't hear about this thing until we arrived in China, but it just so happened we arrived during the grand culminating week - the week that included several two and three star Michelin chefs!

Have you ever seen so many Michelin-starred chefs cooking in the kitchen at the same time . . for you??? I surely haven't. ~~Stay tuned for the complete post~~, Complete post here! including pictures all the courses of this unique tasting meal we had in Shanghai!

This is part 10 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Other posts in this series:

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)
part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)