BELLYBOUND

Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-fried pork dumplings) Yang’s Fry...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:24:20 -0700

Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-fried pork dumplings)

Yang’s Fry Dumpling, Shanghai, China

These are the best dumplings we’ve ever had. We’re not Chinese, so maybe that statement doesn’t hold that much weight, but we still talk about these dumplings nearly six months after our trip to China. Sheng jian bao are pan fried mini pork buns that are filled with gelatinized broth, like the more famous xiao long bao. I love these because the outside is a little crispy then the broth literally explodes in your mouth. They are much larger than XLB and much more durable/portable. This box of four set us back a whopping 6 RMB, which comes to just under $1.

Yang’s Fry Dumpling

Buffalo Quesadilla The Tractor Room, San Diego, CA The Tractor...

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:58:00 -0700

Buffalo Quesadilla

The Tractor Room, San Diego, CA

The Tractor Room is known for their use of unconventional meat. Can you name another brunch spot where people regularly order the boar and buffalo? This quesadilla is stuffed with braised buffalo meat, scrambled eggs, bacon, cheddar and tomato. It’s placed over a bed of crispy potatoes then drizzled with a sauce made from reduced veal stock and cream.

The Tractor Room

Brunch served on weekends only. Reservations by phone.

Fried Chicken Benedict The Tractor Room, San Diego, CA The...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:01:50 -0700

Fried Chicken Benedict

The Tractor Room, San Diego, CA

The Tractor Room is my favorite place for weekend brunch in San Diego. It’s owned by the same people from the famous Hash House A Go Go, but I prefer this place over Hash House any day. This “Andy’s House Sage Fried Chicken Benedict” served on a split biscuit with spinach, smoked bacon, tomato, mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs placed over a bed of skillet potatoes. It’s definitely not a traditional benedict for those purists, but how could I ever say no to a biscuit, fried chicken, eggs and cheese? The fried chicken had a very crispy exterior with juicy meat and the biscuit was fluffy and flaky.

The portions here are out of control. One dish can easily serve three people.

The Tractor Room

Brunch is served on weekends only. Reservations by phone.

Strawberry Shortcake Tender Greens, San Diego, CA Tender Greens...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:44:32 -0700

Strawberry Shortcake

Tender Greens, San Diego, CA

Tender Greens is a chain of casual organic eateries with 12 locations in California. While known for their salads and sandwiches, I also think they make great desserts. This is a seasonal strawberry shortcake made with a scone, freshly whipped cream and strawberries sprinkled with some sort of citrus.

http://www.tendergreensfood.com

Locations are mostly in Southern California but there is one location in the Bay Area in Walnut Creek.

Flashback to Jenn’s European adventure in 2011! There is a...

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:55:25 -0700

Flashback to Jenn’s European adventure in 2011!

There is a small street in the Ortakoy neighborhood in Istanbul where you can buy a waffle with customizable toppings. Here, I chose nutella, strawberry icing, strawberries, chestnuts, pistachios, and sprinkles. This area is also known for kumpir, also known as “jacket potatoes” that follow the same concept.

Twice-cooked Pork Belly Bun By Jenn This recipe is loosely based...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:01:33 -0700

Twice-cooked Pork Belly Bun

By Jenn

This recipe is loosely based on the momofuku pork bun by David Chang. It’s pretty easy, but you need a lot of time to prepare because the pork brines for at least 12 hours then roasts for another three.

Ingredients

For the pork:

2.5 pounds skinless pork belly, plus 4 cups water, 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar for brine

1/2 cup chicken broth

Everything else:

One package plain clamshell buns (I purchased a package of 12 at my local Asian grocer for $2.99. Well worth not having the hassle of making these from scratch!)

Hoisin sauce

Green onions

Quick pickled cucumber

Sriracha

Directions:

1. Stick the pork belly in a gallon size zip lock bag. Mix the water, sugar and salt together in a separate container then pour into the bag o’ pork. Stick that bag in the fridge and leave it be for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place pork fat side up in a baking dish that fits the meat snugly, like a 8x8 or maybe even a loaf pan. Pour in half a cup of water and that half cup of chicken broth. Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast the pork until tender, which should be around 2.5 hours.

3. Remove the foil, crank up the heat to 450 degrees and let the fat bubble and turn into a golden color. Then take the meat out and let it cool for a while on the stove. Once cooled, slice it against the grain into pieces small enough to stuff into your buns.

4. At this point, you could use the meat as-is, or you can do this extra step that I think makes the pork belly even better. Take two forks and pull the meat apart, shredding it all into even smaller pieces. Take the shredded pork and pan fry it for a few minutes in a hot skillet. No oil needed, as the pork is already fatty and greasy enough. The bits of pork should crisp up a little. We’re basically making pork belly carnitas here.

5. Make the quick pickled cucumbers by mixing cucumber slices with a 2:1 ratio of sugar to salt. This can be adjusted to taste. The cucumbers need to sit for at least 20 minutes, so plan accordingly.

6. Steam your buns in the microwave for 2 minutes or on the stove for 15-20 minutes. This step can be done before you shred and cook the meat a second time. Up to you. Keep in mind that after about an hour or two the buns lose a lot of their fluffiness.

7. Stuff those fluffy clam shells with the twice-cooked pork belly, cucumbers, green onion, hoisin sauce and sriracha.

Birthday cake macaron Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, CA I’m a...

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:40:55 -0700

Birthday cake macaron

Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, CA

I’m a little particular when it comes to Parisian macarons, especially with all the recent hype they’ve received and the subsequent poor quality versions that are popping up everywhere. We make an effort to drop by Bouchon Bakery any time we’re in Wine Country for some fancy desserts to nosh on once we’re home, and their macarons are very good. My favorite flavor is vanilla, but I couldn’t resist this birthday cake version.

Bouchon Bakery

Foie Gras Keiko A Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA Let’s take a...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:01:38 -0700

Foie Gras

Keiko A Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA

Let’s take a moment to mourn the loss of our delicious friend, foie gras. This picture is from our May 2012 visit to Keiko A Nob Hill, which has since earned a Michelin star after its first year of operation. Chef Keiko Takahashi spent twenty years perfecting this dish of seared foie gras with artichoke puree, espresso sauce and Japanese sweet potato, served with a warm brioche bread to sop up the meat drippings. It’s really quite a shame that nobody can enjoy it now.

Campfire Pie Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena,...

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:31:52 -0700

Campfire Pie
Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena, CA

Oh man. This pie. This campfire pie is a magical melody of marshmallow meringue, oreo cookie, chocolate chips, and some sort of almond brittle. It’s the kind of pie you have dreams about. The kind of pie you remember for days, weeks, months, years. The kind of pie that causes you to exclaim something when the server brings it out. The kind of pie that makes you worry about your blood sugar level and calorie intake, but then you blink and the plate is licked clean.

Duck burger Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena,...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:02:57 -0700

Duck burger

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena, CA.

Cindy Pawlcyn of “Mustards” fame opened this casual country restaurant that offers American fare with slight worldly influences, like this “Chinatown Duck Burger.” This burger consists of barbecued duck meat and shiitake mushroom ketchup with arugula and spicy mustard. We enjoyed our lunch on the outdoor patio underneath a fig tree, and they even brought out a house-made dog biscuit for our canine friend. Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen is a stellar choice for a lovely, unpretentious lunch in Wine Country.

Lechon Kawali Patio Filipino, San Bruno, CA We don’t eat...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:02:00 -0700

Lechon Kawali

Patio Filipino, San Bruno, CA

We don’t eat Filipino food often, partly because the best restaurants are a 30 minute drive away, like this one, and also because Filipino food is so, so unhealthy. Take this dish, lechon kawali, which is one of our favorites. It is deep fried pork belly. Lechon is a roasted pork and kawali is the name of the wok-type pan used to deep fry the pork until the skin is perfectly crispy and a little puffy. Each bite has perfect layers of crispy pork skin, decadent fat, and juicy pork meat. Scoop it up with some garlic rice and worry about those extra minutes you’ll have to spend at the gym later.

Patio Filipino 1770 El Camino Real, San Bruno, CA

http://www.patiofilipino.com

French toast Nopa, San Francisco, CA This french toast is...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:37:00 -0700

French toast

Nopa, San Francisco, CA

This french toast is almost famous. It’s as if traditional french toast and custard had a baby. With a dollop of honey butter and a slice of a seasonal citrus fruit, this dish is the ultimate sweet breakfast treat. This is a half order ($7) which was enough for three of us to split after we each enjoyed a savory item.

Nopa, 560 Divisadero (at Hayes). Make reservations well in advance or be prepared to show up when it opens then wait two hours like us.

Erin’s Sweet Biscuits Tasty N Sons, Portland, OR Sweet...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:21:03 -0700

Erin’s Sweet Biscuits

Tasty N Sons, Portland, OR

Sweet biscuits with blueberry compote and whipped cream. Tasty N Sons was our favorite breakfast spot in Portland, and Jeremy’s favorite restaurant from our entire trip. The dishes are smaller in portion so that even a party of two can try several things. We wish more restaurants served food this way.

Tasty N Sons has another location called Tasty N Alder. No reservations.

LMR Hash Farmstead Restaurant, St. Helena, CA This is the LMR...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:10:35 -0700

LMR Hash

Farmstead Restaurant, St. Helena, CA

This is the LMR beef and smoked pork hash with red onion, beets, crispy potatoes and sunny side up egg.

Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch is one of our favorite restaurants in Wine Country because of the relaxed atmosphere, delicious food and reasonable prices. If you check in on Yelp, they provide a free appetizer, which was cheddar biscuits with honey butter on our last visit. Brunch is served on Sundays only. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.

Mango Snowy Pa Pa Walk, San Gabriel, CA Pa Pa Walk is a...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:00:00 -0700

Mango Snowy

Pa Pa Walk, San Gabriel, CA

Pa Pa Walk is a Taiwanese eatery in San Gabriel Valley, which is East of Los Angeles. This “mango snowy” is just finely shaved ice, chunks of the ripest mango, and condensed milk, but it was the most refreshing treat after eating a large dumpling lunch nearby.

Pa Pa Walk 227 W Valley Blvd #148B, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (This is in the shopping center next to the Hilton, and Pa Pa Walk is hard to find because it’s hidden by the staircase.)

Strawberry frosted flake pancake The Griddle Cafe, West...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:57:31 -0700

Strawberry frosted flake pancake

The Griddle Cafe, West Hollywood, CA

THESE PANCAKES. They are excessive in every way a pancake could be excessive. I should have measured the diameter, but I estimate these babies were over a foot wide. AND THERE WERE THREE OF THEM! One order could have easily fed 4-6 people. Then, the toppings: powdered sugar, slabs of butter, that huge mound of freshly whipped cream, and real maple syrup. Are you salivating yet? If these don’t float your boat, you might like their red velvet pancake, which is their most popular flavor.

I’d like to add that our server was a struggling screenwriter. How very L.A.

The Griddle Cafe

7916 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA

Scoops Westside Los Angeles, CA (Palms) The flavor of that scoop...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:08:12 -0700

Scoops Westside

Los Angeles, CA (Palms)

The flavor of that scoop above is Brown Brown Bread. What? Vanilla ice cream with caramelized bits of bread crumbs. It was absolutely delicious.

Scoops Westside is in a tiny strip mall off Overland Avenue in Palms. Closed on Sundays.

For those of you thinking that Scoops created this flavor (like I did), you are misguided. Apparently, brown bread ice cream dates back to the early 20th century and was a popular treat in England. Interested in making it at home? Check out this recipe from David Lebovitz.

Blueberry Margarita By Jeremy I like margaritas, and I like...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:11:10 -0700

Blueberry Margarita

By Jeremy

I like margaritas, and I like blueberries! I also like my drinks really really cold, so this little margarita has ice added to it. I don’t usually have salt with my tequila or margaritas, but I think the sea salt on the rim of the glass is what really makes this drink fantastic. You don’t need a lot of it, just enough to taste it as you sip.

20 blueberries
1 ounce simple syrup
1/2 of one lime
5 dashes of orange bitters
2 ounces of tequila
Ice
Sea salt
A slice of lime

Muddle blueberries and syrup in shaker
Squeeze in lime
Add bitters, tequila, and ice
Shake!
Rub the rim of a highball glass with your lime slice or the squeezed half lime
Salt rim
Add fresh ice to glass
Open shaker and carefully add juice and blueberry skin
Top with lime slice

TJ Oyster Bar

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:21:00 -0700

These delicious tacos are 99 cents each. Yup, you read that correctly. Less than a dollar for a tasty fish taco.

Growing up in San Diego automatically makes you a Mexican food snob, especially when it comes to fish tacos. Rubio’s began in San Diego, after all. If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you already know that Jeremy really loves fish tacos. When Jenn moved to the Bay Area, people kept telling her to try SF taco shops like Nick’s or Tacolicious, and she’d scoff at the $4 price tag for a mediocre taco.

Let us introduce the best place for Mexican seafood in California, TJ Oyster Bar, located in Jenn’s hometown of Bonita, California, a “small unincorporated area” in San Diego. This unpretentious place serves top quality seafood for dirt cheap prices and is on Jenn’s very short list of “must eats” when she’s back in her hometown.

If you’re feeling *fancy* you can choose from many other types of seafood tacos, like grilled salmon, garlic shrimp, stingray, and smoked marlin. None of them will cost you more than $3.

Jenn always orders the shrimp ceviche tostada. Ceviche is raw seafood “cooked” in an acid like lime juice, mixed with other things like onions and peppers. Take one bite and you’ll see, and don’t be afraid to order more than one because they only cost $3.50.

If you’re craving oysters, they have those too, obviously.

Cheddar biscuits

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:01:00 -0700

By Jenn

Is there anything better than a cheesy carb? Pizza, nachos, cream cheese danishes, grilled cheese sandwiches… is your mouth watering yet? Biscuits are one of those things that I’ve always wanted to make but I found them too intimidating. I totally forgot that drop biscuits require very little effort and are just as delicious.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons finely grated parmigiano reggiano
1 1/3 cups buttermilk (don’t forget to shake it!)
minced chives or scallions (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place rack in center.
Whisk together all dry ingredients in large bowl.
Blend in butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Stir in cheeses and chives/scallions, then add buttermilk and stir until just combined.
Drop rounded tablespoons on greased baking sheet two inches apart and bake until golden, about 12 minutes.
Transfer onto a cooling rack after baking. Serve with butter!