brubrubites: 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

San Francisco: A Weekend In The City

Having hopped out of a 90 minute flight, sat through a 35 minute Bart, and walked 20 minutes straight through the financial district set the tone for the trip. It felt like a business trip, or more precisely, a mission. A mission to eat our hearts out and steer clear of tourist traps.

LUNCH @Wayfare Tavern

The classy ambience and formally dressed hosts are inspiring but the dress code is not strictly enforced.

Call it Yorkshire Pudding or Popover, this English traditional dinner roll was fresh out of the oven delicious - serve me this golden-brown-out-fluffy-in explosive goodness on every meal, please.

DEVILED PETALUMA EGGS ($9)
Besides the expected mustard yolk richness, the capers, celery & crisp shallot topping gave this appetizer a nice finishing touch.

BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE (8)
A good smoky creamy mac n cheese topped with crispy garlic bread crumbs and chive looked and tasted as good as it sounds.

LOBSTER WALDORF SALAD (24)
The salad was a pleasant toss of succulent lobster chunks, fresh apples, grapes, celery, toasted walnuts, and organic leafs in light sweet waldorf dressing. Easily feeds two people.

The STEAK FRITES (27)
This plate consists of three long strips of Santa Maria tri tip dripped with truffle butter sauce, and paired watercress and fancy shoe string fries. Altogether, it yielded a satisfying dish.

After the meal at WT, the friendly host recommended us heading north to find the Santas on the streets and good times.

Though we didn’t really take a part of “The Santa Occupying SFC”, on our ways, we did find a little gem in the north of the city.

XOX Truffles

These rustic, rich, and smooth truffles are of some 20+ unique flavors (think earl grey, hazelnut, cognac & etc) without the sugary overdose. It didn’t take long for us to fall in love and bought some more soon after.

San Francisco is known for its convenient pubic transit system but taking the bus 11 (your two feet) might engage you more interesting sceneries.

DINNER @Millennium

Millennium offers creative menu options and we had the December Harvest (12/08-12/10, 2011).

1st course: Warm Brussels Sprout & Salsify Salad
This was a playful starter of bitter (barely) greens dressed in lightly sweet balsamic vinaigrette and shaved truffle. The warm brussels sprouts were cooked to a good crunchy texture.

2nd course: Kabocha Squash Tempura
A good looking version of the mock shrimp with silvers of butternut squash and yuzu ponzu dipping sauce kept the bite tasty and refreshing.

Appetizer: Crusted Oyster Mushrooms
The rice flour & coriander seed dredge gave the mushrooms extra crispy coatings and the tomato-black pepper-lemongrass sambal made it irresistible.

Soup of the day: Red Lentils and Carrot Soup
A heart warming bowl of soup served just in time to smooth down the greasy appetizer.

Dining at the bar was not only an option for the unreserved, but also the service there was phenomenal; the silverwares were always replaced promptly between each course without us noticing it.

3rd course: Savory Cabbage Rolls
These giant rolls of cabbage were very filling with the meaty mushroom, barley, braised fennel & other earthy ingredients. The tomato based sauce with green olives completed the dish.

Dessert: Warm Brown Rice Pudding
The dessert was light yet sweet with fun textures from the brown rice, spiced pistachios & coconut. It was well portioned after a hearty meal.

BRUNCH @Canteen

Brunch on a limited menu is served only on the weekends and a reservation is your best bet to get a seat.

Blueberry French Toast ($10)
Just look it. You know you want to have a bite of this fluffy goodness. The cream cheese added a good balance to the blueberry sauce.

A good cup of coffee and a side of chicken sausages will help harmonize your sweet palate. (3-3.5)

Benedict (13) was a solid savory dish with perfectly poached eggs and roasted potatoes.

SNACKING & SHOPPING @Ferry Building Marketplace

In the pier 1, the marketplace is a good stop to do some final snacking and shopping.

Though we couldn’t make it for the fast selling waffle, the pumpkin seed bread crumbs worked just fine with Blue Bottle’s latte.

Whether you want something salty, sweet, cured, cheese-melting or doughy. This is the place to be to bring home something memorable.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Torrance: Oumi Sasaya

Having the drive to carry on her father's passion and taste for udon, Oumi Sasaya chef/owner Kitamura-san brought Torrance authentic udon made with selectively imported ingredients like flour and bonito flake that stands out among the many Japanese establishments in the area.

Just like picky diners want to know their farmers for all their fruits and veggies, it's also the case here when it comes to good ol' udon slurping. At Oumi Sasaya, sit at the bar, watching the owner's attention on each and every bowl, resting assure that you are in good hands.

Sesame Flavored Shrimp Tempra Udon - Cold

Shrimp & Mochi Tempura Udon - Hot

OS's local ingredients - not to be taken any less than the imported goods - let it be the giant succulent prawn, the crispy mochi rice cake, or the side order of soft poached egg in the udon, the chef's components taste fresh, and provide great visual impact.

Though the dip of the Duck Udon by itself could use less sodium, here you are given some scallion infused hot water to adjust and enjoy a hearty meal.

Do not be fooled by its one dimensional look, the Curry Udon’s base has good depth and goes in extra smooth with the silky noodle and its crispy and tender components.

The house's signature udon, the Nabeyaki Udon, is limited to six orders per day. Its generous portion with fresh ingredients cooked-to-order in a hotpot that seals in and elevates all the umami goodness is worth the wait, especially on a chilly night.

Given the high level of craft, ingredient, and service in a two dollar sign setting, the constant 10-15 minutes line is surely living proof for those in the know.

Oumi Sasaya
oumisasaya.com | 2383 Lomita Blvd., Unit 101, Lomita, CA 90717 - map | (310) 530-4661

Sunday, September 11, 2011

nanoBites - Alhambra: 101 Noodle Express

Why it will catch your eye: It’s no secret here when every table has that very same dish ordered
Why it belongs in your mouth: Outstanding noodles, dumplings and killer beef rolls.
Why it may blow your mind: Order THE Beef Roll with less oil it will be more crunch delicious and better for your heart.

101 Noodle Express
yelp.com/biz/101-noodle... | 1408 E Valley Blvd Alhambra, CA 91801 - map | (626) 300-8654

Monday, September 5, 2011

Downtown LA: Church & State Bistro

Even without the presence of the award winning chef Walter Manzke, it's likely you will still find a full house at Church and State. A full house of lively vibrant people that sitting intimately close to each other. It's a good sign that tells a lot about the restaurant.

If you know your wine is better than theirs, expect the corkage fee of $20. Don’t be shy to ask the waiter to pour it for you. They are super friendly.

Oysters were superbly fresh and creamy. A dozen (36) seemed enough for four though it may never feel so.

CS's pig ears (10) were crunchy, fried on the outside, and melt in the mouth on the inside. The béarnaise sauce added a good touch as a whole.

Planchette de Charcuterie is a collection of meats made mostly on premises. The samples of wild boar salami, pates, pickles and terrines (21) tasted delicate and made the perfect spread for the bread. This would be a good time to ask for an extra baguette.

One thing that sets CS apart is their attention to every little thing, like their gourmet mustard and French butter condiments.

The NY loin steak and roasted pork chop, priced at 28 each, is a premium cut that can be ordered medium rare . Surely the tenderly cooked proteins are worth the indulgence. Also order an extra side of the fries to share because these can get a little out of control.

Possibly benefitting from being close to the downtown fish market, the baked striped bass (23) tasted like it was alive and seasoned with restraint. It comes with complimenting side vegetables.

For desserts we ordered salted caramel chocolate (9) and creme brûlée (9). Both were rich and well crafted, marking a satisfying sweet end to the meal.

Church and State may seem pretentious at first glance yet it's ironic that this highly French accepted bistro is served and cooked by Americans and not the French. All it matters is that it is a good place that serves good food. You can count on it for that special occasion.

Church & State Bistro
churchandstatebistro.com | 1850 Industrial Street Los Angeles, CA 90021 - map | menu | (213) 405-1434