Lemon Tea and Cookies

Rosamunde Sausage Grill

2013-03-23T23:10:00.001-07:00

Friend, there are fewer finer things in this world than well made pork products. Sausages to be precise.

Yes, crafted from humble ingredients in a laborious and painstaking fashion, sausages are among my favorite porky products. It takes a certain finesse to transcend a good sausage into a great sausage. Arguably, Rosamunde has been able to achieve this. I've been excited to go to Rosamunde for quite some time now. The web has been buzzing about it ever since the Haight Street location made a name for itself. The newer Mission location couldn't be in a better spot and fits in with the cheap eats of the neighborhood.

I made the journey to the Mission spot on a late weekday afternoon. The lunch rush had long passed so only a few patrons were sitting at the bar. With no one waiting in line I asked the lady at the register a little bit about the selection. She was super informative and knew what the qualities were for each variety. She asked whether I wanted something on the savory, sweet, or spicy side.

After some recommendations I decided to go with the Hungarian with sauerkraut and grilled onions. My friend went with the Chicken Habenero with beef chili and grilled onions. No beers for today, but the wide selection was definitely tempting. The menu even has a beer sausage that sounded pretty enticing.

While waiting for our order we took the atmosphere of natural wood furnishings, wide picnic table seating, and sliding windows to let the sunshine into the room. Some classic show I couldn't make out was being played on the television by the bar. It was certainly a calm and relaxing day- the perfect day to snack on some sausages.

Then we feasted. My Hungarian was well packed and had a nice bite to it. Not too dense or loose for my preference. The smokiness of the pork was subtle and melded wonderfully with the grilled onions. I really liked taste of what looked like caraway seeds in the meat. In retrospect I should have opted for no ketchup so I could taste more of the flavors. The lightly toasted bun was a much better quality than what you'd expect anywhere else. It had a thin crust that broke softly when you bit into it, but was still firm enough to hold the contents.

My friend was enjoying his Chicken Habenero just as much as me. He said the amount of chili wasn't too much so that you could still pick it up. The habenero stood out to him and added a kick to the sausage.

Overall, at roughly $6.00 for most sausages on the menu, Rosamunde is the perfect place to kick back after a long day. The admire Rosamunde's approach to elevating such a simple product into something special. I love the casual environment of this place and ability to sit around for as long as you want. I can't wait try the rest of the sausages on the menu. Maybe I'll venture out to the Haight Street location. So many to choose from, what will I ever do?

2832 Mission St
(between 24th St & 25th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 970-9015

Purple Kow

2013-03-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

San Francisco seems to be going through a sudden tapioca ball phase. I've noticed a boom of shops popping up all over the place. I am all for this new customized handcrafted approach that started with Tea Way. The unique twist on flavors and premium ingredients has definitely been long overdue.

Purple Kow is in a quite part of San Francisco not far from George Washington High School. In terms of location they picked a fantastic location that generates just enough foot traffic. The interior is brightly lit with a modern feel crafted only by the finest workers of Ikea. It's a tad cramp and the room can feel rather narrow during peak hours.

Speaking of peak hours, this place is notorious for having a ridiculously long wait. I really don't understand why this place hasn't fixed the issue despite being open for quite some time. It's pretty simple, stagger the line by adding another register to take more orders at once. Then set up drink making process in a factory line format. Sigh. The efficiency worker in me cries while watching the folks behind the counter.

"Regular" sized milk tea with pearls (aka boba)

The catch factor about Purple Kow is the size of the cups. The drinks are served in ginormous containers. I went with a regular, but the super is that same size as a soup container. My milk tea had a subtle tea flavor and was heavy handed on the milky side. I tasted my friends' lychee green tea and honey milk tea. The lychee green tea had a much more pronounce tea flavor. It was lighter and much more refreshing. The honey milk tea seems to be one of the popular items people order. It's heavy and reminds me a lot of a milk shake. The creaminess and honey really bring the drink together.

Nifty top has a thinner center plastic area for inserting straws

As for the tapioca balls they have a softer chew and sweeter taste than normal. They're consistent and well made which makes or breaks a boba shop in my mind. Overall, at $4-5 a cup it's not a bad deal if you're extra thirsty. The theater next door and places to eat nearby make Purple Kow worth going to.

3620 Balboa St
(between 38th Ave & 37th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 387-9009

Mission Chinese Food

2013-02-28T22:57:00.004-08:00

"Man this is good, but... it's definitely... different"

I can't think of a better quote to describe this place. It's exactly what I was thinking while digging into lunch here. Mission Chinese Food sums up the spirit of San Francisco by being different and not exactly following tradition, while all at the same time still paying respect to cultural roots. Chef Danny Bowein's take on Chinese food has really taken the city by storm in the past several years. Bowein has really caught the eye of the food world by making the food he wants to eat.

I popped in with a friend on a late weekday afternoon to see a moderate sized crowd. Luckily there was no wait as we took a table on the far end of the dim christmas lights lit room. The notorious over sized dragon is quite a sight to see up close and really does bring the place alive. I couldn't help but smile seeing the original owners from Lung Shan still working the tables. It seems nowadays its just a way for them to keep busy which I admire.

After a few minutes perusing over the menu we decided on the much talked about Ma Po Tofu with a side of rice and the Smoked Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. A few minutes of hearing the wok on blast in the kitchen and out came lunch. Fast and efficient, just as it should be.

The Ma Po Tofu is hard to describe. Part of me wants to not like it since it's not the Ma Po Tofu I know and grew up around. But it's just so darn good and simple. I love the fact that the tofu pieces are large and actually intact as opposed to broken down from over stirring. It's heavy on the spices with the szechuan peppercorns being really pronounced leaving the numbing feeling in your mouth. I think this dish really depends on your level of saltiness. Personally I felt like it was salty side, but the rice helps to balance it out.

The Smoked Beef Brisket Noodle Soup was my favorite of the two. Every element of this dish was perfect in my mind. The extra wide rolled up rice noodles (Cheung Fun) were fresh and carried a nice spring to them. The bok choy brought a nice crunch and contrast in texture. The beef was lovingly made with rich fatty smokiness oozing with savory goodness. But, like with any noodle soup, the broth is what makes or breaks the dish. It was a complex flavor of cardamom, soy, and bright acidic notes of a vinegar. I'd go back just for this dish.

Overall, Mission Chinese lives up to the hype. It's different take worth trying if you've grown tired of traditional Chinese food flavors. There's plenty more on the menu worth trying out. I recommend going with a larger group so you can get a wider variety of dishes. Between the two dishes we took home a decent amount of leftovers. On the upside you won't feel guilty about the price knowing that 75 cents of each dish goes to support a local charity.

2234 Mission St
(at Between 18th and 19th Streets )
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-2800

Momofuku You!

2013-01-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

I think it's the restaurant's name that caught my eye initially. The little kid inside me couldn't help but laugh obnoxiously at the silly sounding title. But it's the man behind the restaurant that kept me reading more. David Chang is definitely a down to earth character and another chef I admire. After reading and watching interviews about him, it's clear he has a unique style and doesn't care what other people think.

I love his thoughts on creativity in the kitchen and I totally agree on authenticity being overrated. There's no point in chasing after authenticity because it's already not being made in it's home country- or something along those lines. I liked how it was the pressure of running out of money that forced him to be more creative. Creative to the point that he created a entirely new pork product. And when his brussel sprout dish grew too popular he had the courage to take it off the menu. Who does THAT? But I completely agree. Chefs, or anyone for that matter, lose their creativity if they keep doing the same thing. Chang didn't want to be known for one single dish, so he tossed it out the door all together.

Recently Chang made a PBS series with Anthony Bourdain called, "The Mind of a Chef". It's a fantastic series that I watched half way through before PBS took the stream offline. Chang also produces a culinary journal called, "The Lucky Peach" which I assume is named after the restaurant. One of my dreams is to be able to find the first issue somewhere for a reasonable price. But alas, it is a mighty hard find.

All in all, Chang is definitely a respectable chef I look forward to reading about more in the future.

Impossible Chinese Mission

2013-01-14T22:37:00.002-08:00

I've had more time on my hands as of late. I thought it'd be fitting to pick up where I left off on this blog as a way to keep my mind occupied. I'll be sharing some great finds that I've wanted to read or watch over the past year but only found the time to do so now.

Mission Chinese Food.

Danny Bowien's Mission Chinese caught my in the early summer of last year. I read up a lot of articles about him and watched plenty of random interviews. He's a soft spoken character and is careful with his words. For some reason he reminds me a Andy Warhol type of guy, not sure why to be honest. ~~I still haven't had the opportunity to try his food yet.~~ You can read my review of Mission Chinese here.

Bowien seems like the type of guy that's happy making his own kind of food with his own twist. More so, I respect how his locations are simple and no thrills setups. He donates a percentage of each dish's earnings to charity which makes me like him all the more.

Articles I read: New York Mag and Grub Street New York

I also came across this terrific short made in the San Francisco location. One of the best shorts I've seen in a long time. Not to spoil it too much, but it's a jaw dropper for sure.

More to come as I catch up on some overdue reading. Stay tuned.

Grubbin Vol. 02

2012-10-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Lunch; eggs, tofu, wide rice noodles

Lunch; crispy kale, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, lightly dressed bow tie pasta

Combo basket; tilapia, softshell crab, fries

Morning omelette; eggs, cheddar cheese, onions, baguette slices

Afternoon tacos; carnitas, carne asada, lingua

Late night froyo, original tart

Grubbin Vol. 01

2012-09-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Grubbin.
def. voracious eating, chowing down, pleasure to the senses, good times

Sometimes I talk a lot about food, other times a picture says everything for me. This is a collection of the later. The start of a ongoing series...

San Jose Summer Kraft Brew Festival 2012

A very creative combo bun, all the best Chinese buns put together. (Hot dog, onion, dried pork, sesame, and cha-siu pork.)

Dinner; lightly sauced fettuccine, fresh corn, and extra crispy roasted chicken.

AT&T Park, watching the Giants with a Sheboygan

Froyo on a hot afternoon, my friend couldn't wait for me to take a picture. Smore's crisp combo if I remember correctly.

Zucchini blossom; ended up stuffing half with pork and half with fish. At one time my auntie grew them.

Star Anus (Conversations: 002)

2012-04-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

Forgive me friends from my long absence(s) from writing. It's hard to find time nowadays doing something I enjoy. More so, it's a rarity to be left alone for more than ten minutes at a time. I thought it'd be nice to revise this old series with some new stories. Some are old memories, some are more recent, most are amusing. Never the less, I hope you all enjoy.

(Bear in mind that my father is a typical Asian American parent.)

Me: This curry is really good, what'd you put in it?

Dad: Oh you know, the normal stuff, onions, coconut milk...

Me: What's this stuff here? (picks spice out of sauce)

Dad: I put some star anus in to make it tastier

Me: ......star "anus"?

Dad: Yeah star anus, they look like stars

Me: you mean star ANISE?

Dad: No A-NUS

I love my Dad.

Hong Kong Delights

2012-03-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Before this place I didn't think there was such a thing as bad Chinese food. I mean sure, there's places that aren't quite "authentic" but they still serve decent quality food. Others might have a bad dish here or there, but they make it up with some spectacular supporting dishes. Hong Kong Delights is the opposite of that possibility. This place could be the definition of what bad Chinese food is. Let's first start with the pitiful excuse for a dinning room. At this place the dinning room is more of a dinning "area". Half of the main room consists of industrial size bags of rice, oversize machines with indistinct purposes (mostly there for show or storage), and remnants of a former pizza parlor. My personal favorite decor element is the Macy's store doormat. (I am curious how they got that...)
Normally it's understandable for me if the restrooms aren't exactly top notch. (I am a boy and if it's not number two then it's all good.) But the restroom at this place is dim, dark, and without soap. Which makes me wonder what the staff uses to wash their hands after using the toilet. Don't even get me started about the staff. The wait staff here could care less about service. The guy sitting behind the counter was fiddling with his phone for a good 5 minutes before he brought us the paper takeout version of the menus. Oh and did I mention that the placemats are blank sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper. Further, the chefs decided to make their own lunch and eat it out in the dinning area before finishing our order. This might explain why my dad and I were the only ones in the place.

All of this might have been understandable if not for the actual food. First order was some classic walnut shrimp. A simple and rather straight forward dish. The walnuts were stale and had the texture of old popcorn. The shrimp was not remotely crispy at all, and cold in the middle. They were smoothered in really rancid tasting mayo or cream. The bed of lettuce was torn apart carelessly by hand, almost as if a child did it. Apparently the people in the kitchen have never heard of a knife.

The second dish was no redeemer as well. The order was seafood chowmein. Cold, everything cold on the dish. I was questioning if anything was actually cooked on the dish. The vegtables were discolored and wilted like they were taken out of a compost heap. The fish pieces were still a little frozen in the middle. The noodles were not crisp at all and burnt up on the edges. It was a heaping mess of gravy, seafood, and noodles.

Last order was steamed chicken. There seemed to be a reoccuring theme of cold at this place. This dish was no exception. The chicken was almost icey cold. The skin looked disastorous and the bone was bloody red still. The ginger sauce that came with it looked blended up in a food processor. (I wouldn't be surprised if it was.) The pieces were also cut sideways and in different directions.

To top it off the tea was also barely warm. I like my tea piping hot, otherwise it throws off the entire meal. Obviously the tea was no help in this case.

Overall, it was a experience worth forgetting. Fast food places serve better food than this place. I have no clue why we decided to eat here in the first place.

295B Orizaba Ave
(between Farallones St & Broad St)
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 333-8399

Davis Sushi Buffet

2011-09-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Let’s get one thing very clear: I don’t like buffets. In fact I really don’t like buffets at all. They’re expensive, I am not a quantity over quality guy, and I don’t like the idea of gluttony. However, going to this place has been a tradition come every winter break for the past two to three years. And well, I am not about to break tradition so onward to the buffet.

Davis Sushi Buffet is one of the two big sushi buffets that I know of in the Davis area. Upon my last visit I remember being there for quite some time and watching the random techno music videos. Other than the videos being replaced with ESPN and CNN, the place still looked just about the same. Davis Sushi offers a selection of rolls and sashimi that float around a convey belt of boats. Off to the side are warming trays of desserts, fruits, noodles, and other warm dishes to choose from. Everything is set up to help yourself rules with special orders requested from the kitchen.

I tried a few rolls here and there, but a few I remember were the typical California, a Philadelphia, and a shrimp tempura roll. The California roll had huge chunks of avocado and was missing something in between. Some cucumber would have balanced off the richness of the crab mixture and avocado. At least it wasn’t imitation crab otherwise I might have not picked it up. The Philadelphia roll was surprisingly tasty with the cream cheese not being too thick. The shrimp tempura roll wasn’t anything special; I might have as well just gotten plain shrimp tempura.

Most of the sashimi has to be requested from the guy behind the counter. I tried out a small mixed plate so that I could sample a bit of everything. The overall quality is fairly fresh and the flavors are clean. No staleness or odors that I could detect. I wish they had more different pieces of nigiri out on the pickup area. I guess salmon and unagi are the most popular items because that’s the main two that were the majority.

Some of the other items were a selection of deep fried goodies we ordered up for the table. There was soft shell crab, calamari, and oysters. First off I couldn’t understand why they would serve the platter with lemon slices. It just didn’t seem like something you would find in Japanese cuisine. The soft shell crab was alright and went pretty good with the warm dipping sauce. The calamari was nice and chewy with a nice bite to it. Though I had a feeling it wasn’t really calamari, but rather some other type of squid. The oysters were packed with flavor and personally my favorite of the three. I like my oysters a little bigger but these were more appropriate for frying.

The place is pretty modest in size and really clean all around. Well kept by Asian standards. Seating is available either at the sushi bar or tables. I am guessing we went on an off day since it was quiet for the majority of our stay. For $13+tip it’s a fair choice for a buffet especially if you enjoy the sashimi. Chances are I’ll be forced back again on another visit in the future.

707 2nd St
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 297-1999

Burgers & Brew

2011-09-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

After the last burger adventure turning out to be terribly lousy, I was more hopeful of this family place. I was Davis, CA visiting a few friends and they decided on this place. Or to be exact, one of them decided due to his immediate hunger. After a short drive from my friend’s house and a quick walk through a farmer’s market we found ourselves at Burgers & Brew.

This place is built in what appears to be some sort of converted residence or office. I am probably wrong considering a lot of foreign places look the same to me. It was a little before normal dinner hours so they were only taking orders at the counter. Just from the look of things this place is very clear in what they specialize. I could already feel my mouth slowly water at the smell of meat hitting the grill. They have a wide selection of beers (many on tap) and wine just waiting to be poured.
After ordering up some food and a pitcher of dark ale (something bastard, can’t remember) we found a open table and shared a few stories. I must say, maybe it was the company or the booze but the ambiance of this place is close to perfect. With a table on the porch by the fireplace and the sun setting in the horizon, life just couldn’t get any better. Little did I know it would be topped off by the delectable addition of a spicy guacamole burger cooked medium rare. There were so many great elements to this creation it’s hard to know where to begin.

The bread was none of that nonsense flat lifeless junk you find elsewhere. This bread had just the slightest bit of crusty exterior and soft interior. The beef actually tasted like beef and had a visible thickness to it. The spicy guacamole was thick and very rich to say the least. The chopped onions were pronounced enough to be noticed but not too overpowering. I couldn’t really make out the jack cheese with the guacamole oozing out other than on a few dry edges. I really appreciate the fact they use different types of lettuce depending on which burger you order. That’s a detail most places tend to over look.

As for sides I decided to go a little lighter with a salad which turned out to be a good idea in the end. It’s a pretty generous amount of food for the price ($10). The vinaigrette was lightly coated the nice pile of greens. And who could forget a slice of pickle to tie everything together. From what I could gather out of the few fries I got off my friends plates they’re reasonable fresh and crispy. Overall it’s not a bad place for a group of friends or even a date. Go early if you want to avoid a possible long wait.

403 3rd St
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 750-3600

Shanghai Dumpling King

2011-06-02T00:08:00.000-07:00

Every break by chance I’ll see my old friends from the city. And every break, by chance, different people will show up depending on schedules. And every break, by chance…or routine I guess, I end up planning the get together. This time since we were in my friend’s neck of the woods, we decided on this place since it was close by. Plus it helped that his family goes here often and knows what’s good to order on the menu.

Judging from the outside one would not imagine this place to be all that spectacular. Sure I mean there are plenty of awards of awards posted in the window. But the location is smack dab on the outskirts of town and tucked in the most random location ever. The joint is small and can get rather cramped as my group experienced that afternoon. We were lucky enough to have just the right number for a short wait of no longer than five minutes. (A word of advice is to put your name on the sign in sheet clearly.) The five of us were placed in a tight corner by the window with knees and shoulders touching one another. I didn’t really mind since we’re all like family and small places aren’t anything new to me. The staff consists of family and arguably one of the hardest working I’ve come across in some time.
Collectively we decided to let the mastermind that chose the place to order up a bunch of dishes for the table. It makes things go faster especially when you opt for family style. We went with 7 dishes total, more than plenty to fill everyone up with some leftovers. First dish was a chewy noodle dish with Chinese broccoli and thinly minced beef. This one was well done, not ridiculously chewy, but just right. Directly behind it was another noodle dish. Long stir fried noodles with a little green onion, hint of ginger, and a few other aromatics.

Next up was a soup dumpling that came in a very dark soy broth. At first I thought this bowl was going to taste like straight up soy sauce. Though when tasting it, it was salted just right and wasn’t exploding with soy sauce flavor. The dumplings had good sized shrimp and amount of filling in them. Arguably they live up to their hype in the 7x7 magazine. They’re not the best I’ve ever had, but they’re a worthy contender.

Following was a stir fry of the daily veggie they had on hand which we actually didn’t order. Or possibly something got miscommunication in the ordering process, nonetheless we ate it up. The light smoky and charred flavor really made this dish accompany the rest nicely. Following that a plate of green onion pancakes. Good onion to dough ratio, hot, crispy on the outside, and slightly chewy on the inside.

And to top the meal off, even MORE dumplings. I guess no one would really be surprised considering the name of the place. Two orders of Xiao Long Bao (steamed pork dumplings), hot out of the steamer, ten per rack. A little blowing to cool the suckers down, lightly dip in soy and vinegar mixture, and you’re in heaven. Personally I’ve grown tired of the taste of Xiao Long Bao, but these were a nice reminder of how I still enjoy them once in a while. You have to be careful picking these up since the skins is a tad thinner than ones you get elsewhere.

Last but not least, Shen Jian Bao (pan fried pork dumplings). They were crispy on the bottom with a juicy inside and just about perfect. I’ve always liked the pan fried ones a little better than steamed ones. They seem to have a fuller and more savory taste. I’d go back to maybe try the lion’s head meatballs and egg puffs I keep hearing about. This place lives up to the reputation for sure.

3319 Balboa St
(between 34th Ave & 35th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
(415) 387-2088

Why Writing

2011-05-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

This would arguably be the most important question for any blogger or writer. It’s the second most asked question I come across. Why do I write? Well, it’s probably best to start from the beginning and explain the whole story of how things came to be.

Lemon Tea and Cookies is a name I thought up of with a friend of mine, Ben. Ben and I went to high school together and remain good friends to this day. Lemon Tea is a nickname I had throughout high school, but nowadays only a few people still refer to me by that name. Cookie comes from Ben’s last name of Cook. Another nickname in high school not used so often anymore.
Together we formed this blog through the many conversations we shared with one another. Some people go to the gym, others play musical instruments, we wrote ideas to past the time. These conversations generated thoughts, thoughts connected pen to paper, and thus the blog came to life. You know how some people can talk like they write, well for us I like to think we write like we talk.

We wrote about a lot of different things on our mind at the time. That was back in 2008 and a lot has changed since then. Ben still writes once in a while, but not quite as often as more. He’s more of the person I talk to in order to generate ideas. As for the content it’s become very loose in terms of direction. It’s grown into a place to catalog my thoughts so that I don’t forget. Recently I’ve shifted the blog more towards food topics due to requests.

Overall, I think everyone has something to share with the world. Everyone has an opinion or something on their mind. For me this is the best way to leave that impression. Nevertheless, the old motto lives on that “I write for the sake of writing”. Come share a few thoughts or “treats” with us.

--Tim

Tea Way

2011-05-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

Man has it been getting warmer lately or is it just me? My hands have been getting stiff from typing in different temperatures. So what would a reasonable person do to ease the pain…get boba. Or I guess the question should be “what does a fatty do after eating a big lunch?”

What can I say? Nothing beats a good milk tea after a warm tasty meal. It tops it all off rather nicely. I see people lining up outside of tea way all the time when I am passing through Irving. Through word of mouth it seems to be the new rage on this side of the city. The place is rather nice even though it can get crowded. Luckily when I went not too many people were in line. But by the time I left there was a pretty lengthy line going out the door. As for the location I think it was a good choice considering the previous frozen yogurt place went under in a matter of months.
Tea Way is different in that the customer chooses the amount of fixings they want in their cup. The person behind the counter fills the cup with liquid and seals it after. The blend was pretty good not being too sweet or milky. The selection is pretty standard with an emphasis in different kinds of tea. Though I didn’t really taste the tea flavor all too much and I have a weird feeling some of the stuff in powdered. The popular drink which I got myself was a milk tea with small pearls. I decided to try something else besides my default Thai iced tea. For $2 it’s not bad of a deal, and the cup was fairly large. The sign outside is true when it says all drinks are $2 to $3. However, this place is definitely not a sit down location. Seating only goes as far as the 4 to 5 winder counter seats.

I think it’s neat how the menu is displayed on 3 massive plasma screens turned in different directions. Parking isn’t bad if you’re willing to walk a bit. Next time I might try out one of their shakes or the pop corn chicken. My guess is this place might kill the competition in the area. But it’s new and still has a while before proving itself for sure.

2150 Irving St
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset

FreeStyle and Friendship Machine

2011-04-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

In the continual battle between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo vending machines are the new medium of choice. Most recently I've been seeing more and more FreeStyle machines pop up all over the place. It's such a well thought out product that it's hard not to like it. Essentially you can mix flavors together to create custom drinks, almost like flavor shots in coffee. More so, I admire the innovation and technology behind the one spout idea. The unique flavor packets follow the same idea as printer ink cartridges. The syrup is super concentrated so the machine takes up very little space and requires few refills.
Elsewhere in Coke news, in the spirit of celebrating International Friendship Day Coke planted some special machines. In order to buy a coke friends have to work together to reach the 12ft. tall coin slot. As a reward two cokes are dispensed for the price of one. Such a simple idea to bring people together on a random holiday. Now if I could only find someone to give me a boost... =)

Jang Soo BBQ

2011-03-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

I love Korean food; it’s one of my more favored cuisines I am exploring at the moment. The flavors and spices really stand out and pack punch. Come to think of it, I have yet to experience any subtleness when it comes to Korean cooking. The meat marinades in particular have always been very distinct. With each place I visit I’ve come to learn more and more about how to separate the good from the bad. Or in this case, telling the difference between the overpriced from the great deals.

From the outside Jang Soo looks like a super Asian type of place. There’s an overhang of a fake tiled roof, the lettering for the sign is in large red characters, and there are blown up pictures of their food in the window. However, the cleanliness of this place really shines when compared to others. The built in stoves at most tables were gleaming upon entry. With the tiled walls and floor the place begins to resemble a restroom or hospital of some sort.
The gang and I went with one of the BBQ meat sets since we wanted to use the tableside grill. One order of Daeji Bul Go Gi (spicy pork) and one order of Bul Go Gi (marinated beef). Each portion of meat costs about $20-$25. The fixed meal comes with rice, soup, pan fried potato cakes, and the usual banchan (side dishes/condiments). To top it off we got two large bottles of Hite as well.

The portions for the meat seemed very stingy to me. It’s no secret that Korean food is usually expensive when at a restaurant, especially in the city. But I felt like I could find better deals elsewhere. The Daeji Bul Go Gi was on the sweet side though rather tasty for the most part. It balanced out with the beer rather nicely. The Bul Go Gi was rather forgettable and didn’t really carry too much flavor. It didn’t help that the edge pieces I ate came out dry.

As for all the freebies that came in the banchan, they were just alright. The potato cakes came with a pretty good dipping sauce and were crisp for the most part. The complementary soup felt watered down and didn’t carry much depth. The soup was more broth than from what I am used to seeing at other places. I didn’t appreciate the fact that they charged us extra ($5) for another small dish of kimchi.

Overall I was still pretty darn hungry and a little disappointed when we left the place. The highlights are it was close by and cleaner than most places. I’d consider going for lunch one day to see if it’s any better. Bottom line is there are other places in the city worth trying before this place.

6314 Geary Blvd
(between 27th Ave & 28th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
(415) 831-8282

Red Robin

2011-02-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

I’ll be straight up. I don’t really like chain restaurants, and I don’t care for fast food all that much. But somehow I always get dragged by friends or family into going to these places. Honestly I think a lot of these types of big box places are overpriced and low quality. But food is food; majority rules, and the loudest person always wins…especially if it’s a girl. =)

All chain restaurants and eateries all have the same ridiculous looking walls such as this nearby Red Robin. Every inch of this place was covered in random posters that really didn’t connect to one another. Here’s one with some random movie I’ve never seen. There’s one with a nameless singer that doesn’t look the slightest bit familiar. The service comes with the typical overly enthusiastic waiter or waitress. They’re so excited to the point of close annoyance. It probably didn’t help that my friend(s) kept fueling the fire. In an alternate reality I am sure they would be married with two overactive children in the suburbs. I will hand it to the guy that was waiting us; he really did seem to enjoy his job.
The menu was comprised of an extra large sheet of laminated colorful paper. As I skimmed the menu the cobb salad was surprisingly accurate to American standards, something rare I would say. It was a tempting secondary choice, but they are known for their burgers so I went with a burger. Plus it’s been a while since I’ve had a burger. I went with the Bacon Burger with Bleu Cheese for a whopping $10. The company made the place more bearable as our little rag tag group chatted some more. One of them claiming the prices were worth it due to the bottomless fries with every burger order.

In the mean time I got a chance to sip some of my friend’s Freckled Lemonade. Or is it speckled? We kept mixing up the amusing name for the drink. It turned out to be strawberry lemonade that was heavily sugared down. It would have made for a better drink if not for all the darn slices of strawberry clogging up the straw. It was certainly tasty but not $3 tasty.

A few minutes and a highly impatient friend later, the food arrived hot and ready to eat. Now here’s where everything that’s wrong with these places becomes a reality. My first bite into my burger was forgettable to say the least. My initial reaction was, “Did I just bite into the wrapper paper?” Nope. I quickly pulled out what appeared to be the corner edge of wax paper for meat patties. Since the guy was nowhere around and I was hungry, I decided to let it slide. The rest of the burger was mediocre with a weak flavored bleu cheese. In retrospect it tasted more like a feta cheese or generic crumbled cheese. The bacon was thin to the point of transparency and was soggy. The buns were barely toasted and lacked any real depth.

The fries weren’t anything special despite my friend’s claims. The special salt reminds me of a copy of Lawry’s seasonal salt. The special chipotle and campfire sauce we asked for was actually not bad. Both went surprisingly well with the fries and made for a good ketchup substitute.

Overall, not worth the price, there are better local places that put Red Robin to shame. Perhaps next time I’ll opt for the salad.

1274 El Camino Real
San Bruno, CA 94066
(650) 588-4600

Pete’s Tavern

2011-02-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

The company I work for seasonally had a small get together this past week. I guess you could say this was my first official “company party”. From what I’ve seen in movies and on TV, these parties are always a little weird. Its one thing to work with people day in and day out, but it’s another to see then outside the work place. To make matters worse I rarely actually have to see any of my fellow co-workers. Anyways let’s move on to the part about the food.

Pete’s is a sports bar right down the block from the Giants ball park. Since it’s the off season, business in the area was slow and quite for the most part. When I arrived there were only a small number of folks enjoying a post workday drink, and maybe a group of friends eating at a table together. The walls are lined with plenty of flat screen monitors including a large projector screen. Upstairs are a few pool tables and to side is an entry to the neighboring restaurant. Apparently several of them are all owned by the same person. In the center is a well stocked bar with a good selection of beers on tap as well.
After a few introductions and small talk the bosses ordered up some grub for everyone. After this experience I think I am still very much learning how to appreciate the bar atmosphere. There was a selection of pizzas, mini corn dogs, fries, and plenty of drinks. The cheese on the pizza had a strong enough flavor to know it wasn’t typical factory store bought cheese. All of them came steaming hot right out of the oven making the cheese extra gooey. The crust, extra thin, would flop over whenever someone reached for a piece. Both the meat and veggie slices I ate complemented my light ale rather nicely. (I really wish I had remembered the name of whatever they poured me.) All the ingredients were top notch and everything seemed freshly made.

As for the fries, they weren’t anything special. They were typical curly fries probably straight out of a bag that weren’t even seasoned. It was my least favorite for the evening. As for the mini corndogs, they were the better of the two deep fried goodies. I like how they go through the trouble of putting sticks on them, saves the fingers from getting too oily.

Overall Pete’s is the perfect location to watch a sports game or grab a meal after a game. I’d go back to try the mac and cheese I eyeballed at a nearby table. It’s good for both groups or if you’re stag. I might try out some entrees before or after a Giants game one day.

128 King St
(between 2nd St & 3rd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 817-5040

Eliza’s

2011-02-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

What does one do after a nice workout and his first “steam” might you ask? Go out for some Chinese food of course. Nothing like a 90 degree room filled with sweaty men to work up a hearty appetite. My friend’s parents were the ones treating me out so I was up for anything. His dad had a craving for this place in particular since it’s a family favorite. Apparently the owners used to have another location further downtown as well, but that location did not do as well and closed up.

Admittedly I had some high expectations when walking into this place. The awards and articles were clearly posted in the doorway. Plus the setting gives off an upscale feeling and atmosphere. The place is decorated with a lot of glass, and I mean a LOT. Glass counters, glass sculptures, glass table tops, decorative glass bottles, etc. The place literally looks almost like a giant fish tank with a metal lining on some of the walls. Rather amusingly the bathroom has the same glass theme except with a rainforest theme going on.

We were greeted and shown to a table right away. The service is prompt and friendly to just about anyone. I quickly glanced through the menu since it seemed as if everyone knew what they wanted already. I went with the Mongolian lamb lunch special. After a few minutes of chatter about how school was going, they waiter came with four hot bowls of hot and sour soup that came with our rice plates. The soup had all the typical ingredients, some mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and a generous amount of egg. The flavors were pretty subtle, not as spicy as I am typically used to in other restaurants. There was also a slight bit an oddly placed sweetness to the soup. Nonetheless, it was a good way to warm up to a meal.

My plate came a little while after everyone else still steaming from the heat of the wok. My rice was pressed into a dome shape. The lamb was cut into bit sized pieces, stir fired with red peppers, onions, and bound together in soy based gravy. On the sides were orange slices for before, after, or in between. I slowly mixed in the topping with the rice while I ate the dish making sure to utilize all the gravy. The lamb was extra tender and the veggies had just the right bite to it. The chow wok chef in the back knows what he’s doing and shows his experience. Afterward the check came with a set of crispy and fresh tasting fortune cookies. I’ve had my fair share of stale ones that really end up ruining a good meal.

The meal was just filling enough and made a pretty good deal for under $10 per person. I wouldn’t say it’s the best deal in the city, but the food is definitely worth a try if you’re in the neighborhood. The style is definitely catered more towards an American taste than anything. The whole place definitely has a westernized feel and is by far cleaner than most typical Asian restaurants. I’d go back to see what they offer for dinner.

2877 California St
(between Broderick St & Divisadero St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhoods: Pacific Heights, Lower Pac Heights
(415) 621-4819

Bob’s Donut and Pastry Shop

2011-01-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

Donuts scare me a little bit. Yes they scare me. I think it started in high school when one of my teachers told me it’s one of the worst things you can possibly put in your body. I believed him, and still do for the most part. So if and when I ever do go and get donuts with you, know that it’s rare. But also know that it’s quite a treat for me too.

There's really nothing better than a fresh donut right out of the fryer. It’s a lovely concoction of fried sweet goodness piping hot with perfection. I don’t know about you, but part of me really does light up and become all childlike at the donut shop.

Bob’s, hands down knows how to make a good donut. Part of you feels as if you walk back in time when you step into this place. Seating consists of an old school long counter with what appears to be with original stools. (The counters can get a little sticky, so beware. Otherwise you’ll come out with sugary elbows and forearms like me.) There’s no secret to the cooking process at Bob’s, the donut making can be watched from right behind the counter. The fryer sits right next to the register and customers can be mesmerized by the gentle bobbing of dough. The squirting machine is hand cranked just like the way they used to do it back in day.

Bob’s is specifically known for their apple fritter mainly due to the raves from 7x7. Lucky for me there was plenty sitting in the window display, even at 10 in the evening. That’s another thing I failed to mention, this place is open into the wee early morning hours. As far as I know the place is open 24/7. You can pretty much get your donut fix at any hour. As for the apple fritter, what more could I possibly say? It lives up to the hype. The perfect mix of chewy apple and dough all covered in a layer of sugar. I really love the cinnamon flavor combined with some other hidden spices. This, my friends is like a super star piece of apple pie or apple cake or pure apple goodness. Perfect at just about any hour. Now if only I could buy one the second they’re done glazing. That would be a dream saved for another visit.

1621 Polk St
(between Sacramento St & Clay St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
(415) 776-3141

The Taco Shop at Underdog’s

2011-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

I don’t drink very often, but I guess that’s because I just turned legal a little while ago. Plus it never really appealed to me that much before. I think the taste of alcohol is still developing on my palette. So when a few friends back from school for the winter decided to go for a few drinks, I figured I’d sample some more. Never hurts to try something once right? Plus it was fun getting carded for the first time and hearing stories from everyone.

For beverages of the evening I decided to go for whatever they had on tap. This is namely due to my lack of knowledge in beer and not wanting to make the nice waitress annoyed. I went with a Stella Artois which actually wasn’t bad since I’ve only tasted a few beers so far. Not too strong for my taste and it went well with the food we ordered. Not feeling too hungry I tried a little of what everyone ordered.

Might I say this place can really make a good taco. Both the carne asada and chicken tacos ($4.50) we ordered were packed with meat. The portion size was a good amount with all the fixings one could imagine. They use both a soft and hard shell exterior which provides a balanced chewiness and crunchiness. I love how they bother to take the time to wrap one end of the taco with parchment paper. This totally makes the thing easier to eat and amounts to less spillage of contents. The chips and salsa ($1.50) are also top notch and super fresh. The chips came out warm and stayed crispy even under the salsa.

As for the atmosphere, what more could a sports fan ask for? The lingering smell of fried stuff and alcohol, the plasma screen lined walls, a few arcade games, and the friendly staff bring this place together as a perfect late night joint. Though the price is a little on the high side with all things considered, it’s rather decent on the wallet. I’d go here again to watch a Giants game or enjoy a cold one after a long day. I didn’t get a chance to try out the house made hot sauces either. They have specials on Tuesdays for $2 tacos or tecate, and Fridays are specials on margaritas. Happy hour is from 4:30-6pm Monday thru Friday. Not bad of a find, a perfect destination if you’re in the area.

1824 Irving St
(between 19th Ave & 20th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
(415) 566-8700

Art’s Café

2011-01-17T22:04:00.000-08:00

If there was a definition for hole in the wall joint, this place would be it. This cozy little cafe is tucked away on a very busy Irving street in the inner Sunset. At first glance most people would definitely pass by this narrow room. There’s literally just enough space for the grill and a long counter that stretches the length of the place. Luckily when I went here for lunch with a friend two seats were open on the very end of the counter. Be sure to hang your coat up on the wall behind you otherwise you‘ll probably be bumping the person next to you. Both my buddy and I are rather skinny fellas so the shaky stools were actually kind of fun to sit on.

As for the food Art’s is a mix of American breakfast food with some Korean influences. Since it was lunch time and I wasn’t feeling an omelet I decided to go with the Beef Bi Bim Bop. I’ve had my share of Bi Bim Bop in the past and it’s grown to become one of my favorite Korean dishes. Considering the location I’d say the Bi Bim Bop was surprisingly good. My bowl came with all the normal fixings of veggies: carrots, sprouts, spinach, and zucchinis. Though I do wish I got more rice, the meat made up for the lack of it. Be sure to use the specially made barbeque hot sauce or else it’ll break the owner’s heart. She even glanced in my bowl to make sure I tried some of the meat with it. Personally I would like the sauce to be a little spicier so there’d be more of a kick to it. It was a decent bowl of Bi Bim Bop if I do say so myself.

As for my friend, not being as adventurous, he went with a hot link sandwich. It came served on a French roll with some jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and a side fries. He seemed pretty happy with the sandwich. The fries I stole off his plate weren’t anything super special, a little too greasy and not fully strained coming out of the fryer.

Overall not a bad find in the midst of a busy section of the Sunset. I’d go back to try some of the breakfast stuff for sure. The kimchi omelet had caught my eye and definitely looks worth a try for next time.

747 Irving St
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset

Why Blogger?

2011-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

I find it funny when people ask me about blogging. Usually it’ll be tips on writing, ideas for content, but it’s mostly “can you tweak the code to do this and that” requests. It never gets old and it’s only natural for writers to talk to one another. That is how writers grow and become better over time after all.

With the start of the New Year far into the month, it seemed fitting to say exactly why I still blog. What makes it so appealing that I bother to post things up even after two years of doing this thing? Here’s how the story starts.

So why did I choose blogger? What makes blogger so special out of all the other blogging hosts? First off, I am not against any blogging network or social platform. I think each one caters to a specific type of writer. Each one is able to fulfill certain needs and that’s why people use that particular one. I chose blogger for a few reasons.

One, it’s free. I really like the design aspects of WordPress and TypePad in particular. But those two, also in particular, cost money in order to get the most out of them. I enjoy being able to change the format and design to specific degrees. I didn’t feel as if I could get that out of those two in particular.

Two, I have a Google account. I like keeping all of my online accounts in as much order as possible. Google owns blogger and you can easily make one under your Google account. It’s convenient for me considering I set schedules on Google calendar, read feeds via Google reader, and keep track of traffic using Google Analytics. At the same time it scares me a little bit that Google is so powerful.

Three, I can always quit. This is my last result doomsday zombie apocalypse scenario… in terms of the blogging world. I enjoy the fact that at any time I could always just delete and close my account. Surprising enough Wordpress doesn’t allow that. You can delete content, but that actual account stays there. Same thing applies for Wikipedia accounts. Sometimes it’s worth it to read the fine print under the contract statements.

Four, there’s help. With every problem I’ve ever experienced in blogger, someone has always had an answer. Since blogger is so heavily used there’s practically a question on everything. And with every question there’s an answer. Finding the answer is the hard part. Working through it can be the fun part. At the same time blogger is always evolving and becoming more user-friendly. Somehow they’re able to make a good product even better, and that I appreciate very much.

Five, I did it for me. At the time Tumblr was just starting to bloom and everyone seemed to be jumping on that medium. Growing up Xanga was the cool thing and everyone I knew seemed have an account. I suppose you could also throw in the rise and fall of Myspace. Let’s not forget to mention the current “in” thing would be Twitter which changed the whole idea of blogging. Instead of bouncing from one thing to the next I wanted something I’d stick to for a while. I wanted something that would work for me as much as I did for it. In short, I guess this would be my loyalty statement to blogger.

Blogging for 2011

2011-01-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

And so it begins. Change is in the air with the coming of the New Year. I am a tad late on updates at the moment, but I do promise some new posts coming very soon. For the most part this year has been good to me and has brought many new opportunities. There were a lot of unforgettable moments such as the Giants winning the series (still my top choice by far). The New Year marks the chance to start from scratch once again and to wipe the slate clean.

Nevertheless, here at LT &C we’re still going to continue what we do best. We’ll be rolling out plenty of new ideas very soon. So stay tuned for an even better site in 2011.

After a World Series

2010-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know you’re wondering why the posts suddenly disappeared during the pinnacle of Giants baseball. To be quite honest we were scared to write, and of course got a little caught up in the watching the game too. Life consisted of going to class, eating, and watching baseball. Of course restroom time was jammed in between commercial breaks. We witnessed every moment of the Fall Classic. We watched the stunning last pitch, the parade to follow, the appearance of the Beard himself on Leno, and even heard the recent news of a certain rookie of the year.

I guess we (or rather I) got so excited that a short rambled post would not do the Giants justice. They had gone beyond what anyone (and possibly everyone) had expected. I would agree with the countless tweets and facebook messages that this past season was more than anything a fan could ask for.

I imagine it must be hard for someone from an outside perspective to truly understand the emotions of winning this series. Ask any real San Franciscan where they would rather live and you’ll likely get a consistent answer. There is no where else but the City. Yes, we do capitalize the “C” thank you very much. Arguably, no one in California wants to go anywhere else either. The City is and will always remain my home.

So you had better believe that when the home team wins, it really does mean something. That logo across my jacket is more than just a name. Or that symbol at the crown of my cap stands for more than just a fashion statement. Yes, the cap that’s faded into almost a brown color now from being sun bleached. That same cap I would turn backwards while eating garlic fries and Sheboygan bratwursts. The one I wore in the countless hours of standing in line at fan fest just to catch a glimpse of the players.

Well with all that being said there’s really nothing left than a word of congratulations. Well done Giants, well done, it was certainly worth the wait. Looking forward to seeing what next year will bring. Thank you for the countless memories.