Istanbul Mediterranean Restaurant

photo - Yelp, Todd B.

Istanbul Mediterranean Restaurant, Lunch, Little Rock
July 29, 2016

P:
Iskender Kebab
A savory, smooth Turkish tomato-based sauce made with plenty of sweet cream butter and special Turkish herbs ladled over delicious doner meat and served with pita squares, fresh creamy yogurt, sliced tomatoes, and pepperoncini.

J:
Mediterranean Salad (Akdeniz Salatasi)
A classic mix of fresh chopped lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and special Turkish spices.
Appetizer Trio (Meze Oclemesi), served with warm pita bread:
Babaganouj - Smoky roasted eggplant, fresh yogurt, and delicate Turkish spices are gently blended together to create this rich, creamy dip.
Cacik - A cool and refreshing blend of fresh yogurt, cucumbers, Turkish spices, and mint.
Roasted Pepper Hummus (Kavrulmus Kirmizi Biberli) - This tasty vegetarian dip is a healthy, creamy blend of garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and savory Turkish spices.


Notes:
Patrick is no stranger to Istanbul Mediterranean, and this was a first for me.  Here in Little Rock, we were visiting family with whom Patrick lived in Turkey some time ago, and this place did well to satisfy some of those food memories, if only a little.

Cotton Blues

photo by Patrick

Cotton Blues, Lunch, Hattiesburg
July 28, 2016

P:
Beet chips, bread and butter slices (complimentary, to share)
Fried Chicken Sandwich - Buttered bun, pimento cheese, tomato jam
Buttered lima beans, French fries

J:
Buttermilk Ranch Salad - Romaine, fried sweet onion rings, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, bacon
Blackened Redfish Tacos - Cilantro jalapeño sauce, sour cream, lettuce, fried jalapeños, black-eyed pea pico de gallo, served with pico de gallo & crab grits


Notes:
Crossing Mississippi on the way to Little Rock, we made an unplanned stop in Hattiesburg for a late lunch.  Originally, we intended to stop for BBQ but we hadn't left Silverhill in time and the chosen place would have been closed by the time we arrived.  For a short while, I agonized over the disruption to my food itinerary (I like to over think our food destinations when traveling), but hunger stepped in and provided some focus.  After combing the interwebs for a worthy spot nearby, we settled on Cotton Blues.

Willie Mae's Scotch House

ptoho - Yelp, Alma C.

Willie Mae's Scotch House, Lunch, New Orleans
July 27, 2016

P&J:
America's Best Fried Chicken - Three pieces of chicken (wing, thigh, breast) served with your favorite choice of a side 
Sides - fried okra, seasoned green beans and rice, mashed potatoes and gravy
sweet tea (good)*
unsweetened tea (evil)*


Notes:
I've been wanting to come here for a long, long time.  I first heard about Willie Mae's in 2005 when the restaurant was recognized by the James Beard Foundation.  They have since become known as serving "America's Best Fried Chicken".  This is hotly debated no doubt, especially in New Orleans, but eleven years later...here we were.

Underbelly

photo by Patrick

Underbelly, Lunch, Houston
July 25, 2016

P&J:
Smoked UB Ham & Cheese, Mustard, Quick Pickles, Fries
Crispy Farmer’s Market Vegetables, Caramelized Fish Sauce
Roasted Chicken & Butter Biscuit, Local Vegetables, Gravy
House Made Root Beer and Cream Soda
House Made Shrub with Berries, Jalapeno, White Balsamic and Topo Chico (sparkling water)
Vinegar Pie, Salt Brittle


Notes:
And so begins our road trip from Austin to Little Rock, with lots of stops along the way.  We hit up Underbelly on our way to our first detour - New Orleans.  Underbelly is a James Beard award winning farm to table restaurant in Houston, TX.  It's in a seemingly nowhere part of town, tucked in amongst some run-down but still operating strip malls.  The restaurant itself is a large space with an open kitchen, soaring ceilings and an entire wall of bookshelves packed with Mason jars of various pickles, preserves, and sauces.

We started with some of their house-made beverage offerings.  Patrick couldn't decide between the cream soda or the root beer, so he had both.  The cream soda was first - reminiscent of cream soda, he said, but weak in flavor.  Same with the root beer, he later learned.  I rather enjoyed their subtlety.  The root beer was very rooty (for lack of a better word), and the cream soda tasted creamy and not overly sweet.  On the flip side, my shrub, aka drinking vinegar, was stronger than I anticipated.  Perhaps an acquired taste, the vinegary drink was particularly balanced and refreshing with food, but I can't say I much enjoyed it alone.  And while the berry notes were there, sadly I couldn't pick up any heat from the jalapeno, which is half the reason I ordered the drink (I love spicy, cold beverages). 

First to hit the table was the ham and cheese sandwich.  I'm not sure what I envisioned this would be, but this wasn't it, though it was incredibly delicious.  Perfectly round slices of chopped ham were pan seared and layered on a toasted egg bun with a melty slice of cheese and thinly sliced cucumber quick pickles.  The ham was well-seasoned and succulent; the pan sear lent a caramelized exterior with crispy edges.  The bun was soft and delicious; the pickles provided a nice, cool crunch, though weren't particularly pickle-y.  And the fries, with a light golden and craggy shell, certainly fresh cut, were remarkably good.

The market vegetableS turned out to be (just) okra, seemingly flash-fried and sauced a bit too heavily with a sweet-salty-sour sauce.  Very tasty, but nothing extraordinary.  The roasted chicken and butter biscuit, on the other hand, was a beautiful thing.  Shredded chicken, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and broccoli soused in a velvety gravy accompanied by a giant biscuit split in half, its top crowning the dish.  Patrick thought the chicken was dry, but loved the biscuit and creamy chicken gravy.  The veggies were cooked through but still bright in flavor; I couldn't stop eating them.  And when I just couldn't eat anymore, I grabbed my spoon to help finish the sauce.

Almost incapable of consuming more, I just had to have the vinegar pie with salt brittle; it was too weird [sounding] to pass up.   Not so strange after all, the dessert was basically a firm custard pie flavored with vinegar instead of citrus (as we're all more familiar with).  The vinegar flavor itself was subtle, almost imperceptible save the tang.  The aroma, on the other hand, was very evident and a turn-off for Patrick.  The brittle, a sheet of sugar cooked to light amber and generously sprinkled with a coarse sea salt was too thick to enjoy alone, but shattered little bits eaten with the pie elevated them both.  This was just okay.

It was great to have the opportunity to try out a place far from home.  If we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we might come back.

Big Cat BBQ

photo - Yelp, Dan B.

Big Cat BBQ, Lunch, Cedar Park
July 24, 2016


P&J:

Sliced Brisket, Pulled Pork, Pork St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs

Pinto Beans, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Mac and Cheese

Notes:

Patrick and I loves the BBQ, so it's only fitting that we go for some when we visit Texas.

Big Cat is located in a strip mall in Cedar Park, an unlikely spot for good BBQ one might think, but this is Texas.  We got a smattering of just about everything they offered, and it was pretty good.  The brisket was flavorful but a little dry except for the fatty pieces, which were possibly too fatty for my taste (gasp!).  The spare ribs were moist and had a nice bark, though perhaps not the best I've ever had.  The pulled pork was the winner; the shredded meat was tender and moist with flavorful crispy bits here and there.

The pinto beans were tasty, and nearly received Patrick's seal of approval.  (The beans are one of his measures of good BBQ.)  The potato salad was a little mashy, but the flavor too strong on sweet pickle relish; the mac and cheese, predictably good.  Soggy cabbage and too much pepper made the cole slaw my least favorite.

Big Cat was good, sure, but there are so many BBQ places to try in the Austin area, this wouldn't be at the top of our list.

ThunderCloud Subs

ThunderCloud Subs, Lunch, Cedar Park
July 23, 2016

P:
California Club on wheat - turkey, avocado, bacon with everything except onions; chips and a sweet tea

J:
Turkey sub on white with everything, no cheese; chips and an iced tea


Notes:
I worked at ThunderCloud, way back when.  It was my third job ever, I worked there for 7 years and had a ton of fun doing it.  ThunderCloud holds a huge place in my heart.

The food is pretty damn good, too.  As an employee, I got 50% off.  Being a young, on-again-off-again college student working a slightly-above-minimum-wage job, 50% off = I lived on ThunderCloud, and it was awesome.  My "favorite" thing there morphed from one wacky thing to another, depending on my mood.  When I was feeling "healthy", I made a crispy, crunchy, all-veggie sandwich I insisted on chilling in the fridge for hours before consuming.  When I needed something "big", I went for a tuna salad sandwich with bacon, jalapenos, and avocado (I highly recommend you try this combination sometime).   And then there was that summer of exceptionally good tomatoes which required ham, mayonnaise, mustard and pickles (and nothing else) on wheat.

One thing I rarely ate, though, was the turkey sandwich.  By far the most popular thing on the menu, generally employees steered clear of it - too boring, or maybe we were just tired of it.  Now, whenever I go back, that's all I want.  Funny how that works.

Patrick humors me.  He's not so into sandwiches, but he knows I love ThunderCloud, so he comes along and orders something for himself.  He likes their sandwiches well enough, but he's just happy to watch me bounce up and down in my seat with my first (and second, and third...) bite.  It does that to me.


I love Thundercloud so much, I'll even eat it at the (Austin) airport on my way out of town if I didn't get my fix.

Crab House at Pier 39

Photo - Yelp, Liz D.

Crab House at Pier 39, Lunch, Fisherman's Wharf
July 16, 2016

P:
Crab Cakes
Garlic Noodles with crab, parsley, garlic, paprika butter sauce

J:
Crab Caesar


Notes:
I know I've talked alotta smack about the quality of restaurants (or lack thereof) at Fisherman's Wharf, but we have a couple of friends who love this place and so we met them at the Crab House for lunch.

It seems they specialize in steamy, roasted cast-iron platters of seafood, plastic bibs recommended.  I came close to indulging in one of their sizzling skillets myself, but I would have been alone, and this is not something you do alone.  Maybe next time (?).

Instead, I played it safe with the Crab Caesar, and I was not disappointed.  Whole leaves of baby romaine were generously coated with dressing and grated Parmigiano, a small mound of crabmeat laid in the center.  It wasn't a life-altering salad, but it was a really good salad; no complaints.  Okay, well, the 1/2 roll/slab-crouton might have broken my teeth, but I managed.

Patrick enjoyed his crab cakes, though they weren't mostly-crab, as we prefer crab cakes to be.  Again, nothing life altering, but good.  The garlic noodles were a different story, though.  While nicely flavored, they were swimming in oil.  Swimming!!  (There was about an inch of oil in the bottom of his bowl.)  It was a huge turnoff.

Will there be a next time?  Based on Patrick's experience alone, I'd say not, but my salad was perfectly good and our friend across the table had some fabulous shrimp and chips (garlic fries, really).  We won't give up on this place altogether, though you might not find us there on our own.

KINsmoke

photo by Patrick

KINsmoke, Lunch, Healdsburg
July 10, 2016

P:
"The Chopper" Sandwich - Pork shoulder & brisket, KIN BBQ Sauce, Costeaux plain white roll

J:
Smoked Chicken and White Sandwich - Thigh and leg meat, Alabama white sauce, sliced sweet pickle, Costeaux plain white roll

Sides to share:
Frickles & Buttermilk Ranch
Drunken Hush Puppies and Cajun Remoulade
Bourbon Baked Beans
Granny Smith Apple & Horseradish Slaw


Notes:
We ended up in Healdsburg with the intention of going to a New-Orleans-style place for brunch but it was closed by the time we got there.  Instead, we headed into town and picked a barbecue place for lunch.

KINsmoke is trying to be too many things to too many people, but the food was good, so I'll limit the following rant to three sentences.  This is one of those places where you walk in, order at the counter, they give you a number, you sit down and they bring your food to the table.  Except here, you don't pay until the end of the meal, in what seems a thinly-veiled attempt to get the guests to tip for full service at the end of the meal (even when they did not receive full-service), which in my conspiracy-theorist mind allows the business to pay their people less and somehow everybody is happy (except me).  Moving on.

I'd never had white barbecue sauce before, but I'd heard of it and they had it so I ordered it.  White barbecue sauce is mayonnaise based and flavored with vinegar and horseradish (among other things), and man, is it good.  When used as a basting sauce, the "white" melts away and you're left with a super-moist, zippy-flavored piece of meat.  In this case, the meat (being chicken) was also smoked, bordering on a little too heavily, but it was still good.  Juicy, smokey dark meat stacked on that buttery, toasted white bun with sweet pickles and extra white sauce made for a damn good sandwich.

Patrick's sandwich was a heap of brisket and pulled pork doused in their house barbecue sauce, tangy and a little sweet.  He liked it well enough, the meats were flavorful and moist, and proportions were right, though he added a little more sauce from time to time.

The sides were all pretty good.  Patrick liked the beans, despite them being favored with bourbon.  I really liked the cold slaw, it was crunchy, a little creamy, not too sweet, and that horseradish zing was pleasing.  The frickles (fried pickles) were nicely done; the cornmeal coating was thin but sturdy, perfect for dipping into freshly made buttermilk ranch.  The marble-sized hush puppies were savory and not overly dense; the remoulade was a delicious dip for these and the pickles.


As pleased as we were with the food, I'm not sure we'd go back.  The prices were reasonable (which stands to reason since they don't seem to use "happy" meat), but I was irritated by the whole payment/tipping thing, and there are so many more places to try in Healdsburg...

Taco Trail, Day 2

Taco Trail, Day 2
Fresno, San Jose, Lunch
July 3, 2016

And here we are, Day 2 on the Taco Trail finds us in Fresno for our last three stops.

photo by Patrick

Don Pepe Taqueria, Fresno, spicy shrimp taco

With three stops in one city, we had to do our best to spread things out; thankfully, Don Pepe Taqueria opens early.  We arrived around late breakfast/early lunch, and the place was packed.  The line for the cashier weaved awkwardly through the seating area; we timidly took our spot.  I tried to talk Patrick into breaking the 2 taco rule (again), but he resisted.  We ordered the spicy shrimp taco and carne asada al pastor.  The spicy shrimp taco, served on a thin flour tortilla (a first for this trip), was stuffed with rice, cheese, guacamole, and plump shrimp tossed in a spicy sauce.  "Shrimp tacos aren't my thing," Patrick says, declaring he'd only have a single bite.  I didn't object - shrimp tacos are my thing, so I was happy to take one for the team.  He had a bite and he liked it.  "Not sure I taste the shrimp," he says, and takes another bite.  This was a shrimp taco even he could love.  For me, the taco bordered on a mini burrito, what with the flour tortilla and generous heap of rice inside, but the flavors worked well together, and I wanted another; this was a great taco.  The al pastor was less impressive.  Any virtues of the barbecued meat were lost under the helping of soft pinto beans, raw onion and salsa garnish.  It was good, but paled in comparison to the spicy shrimp taco of our dreams.

photo by Patrick

El Mercado Super, Fresno, al pastor + coconut aqua fresca

As the name may suggest to you, our next stop was part of a Mexican grocery.  The first thing you see walking in the door are clear plastic barrels of aguas frescas - melon (cantaloupe), watermelon, coconut, and horchata.  I had the coconut, Patrick again went for watermelon.  These were on the sweeter side, but still delicious; the coconut was ice cold and creamy, with little bits of shredded coconut.  For tacos, we chose the al pastor and carne asada; a steamer at the front of the counter filled with tamales tempted us to order one, chicken.  Sitting next to a flat top griddle behind the counter was a giant clear plastic bag of fresh masa dough, evidently the tortillas are made to order (omg, yes).  A salsa bar sat at the back of the small seating area; I perused the spread and selected red, green and avocado salsas and a little pico de gallo.  The tamal reminded Patrick of when he lived in Texas; he hasn't had one so good until this.  The masa was well seasoned, moist and amazingly light; the shredded chicken inside was mixed with savory green sauce.  The al pastor taco was easily the best I've had anywhere, ever.  Generously rubbed pork layered on a spit offered up piping hot roasted meat with crispy edges, and when folded inside that fresh corn tortila with a little white onion and cliantro, it needed nothing (which was too bad, the salsas were pretty delicious).  The carne asada was equally good; the garlicky, citrusy, peppery marinade made this grilled meat stand out, it was packed with flavor.  As we sat, finishing our desserts (aquas frescas), we looked up the next and final stop, also in Fresno.  We saw photos of giant tacos, packed with multiple ingredients and slathered with salsas.  "Should we just order more tacos here and skip the next place?"  "Yep."  So we did.  A third taco, the chile verde (tender cubes of pork stewed in a tangy green sauce) was added to the mix, but couldn't compete with the second round of al pastor and carne asada.  These were hands down the best tacos on the Trail.

And there we have it.  El Mercado Super won the prize - it was so good, we cut our trip short by one spot (we wanted to end on that high note).  The Viva Taco bus was a close second for Patrick, though for me it tied with that delicious shrimp taco-quasi-burrito at Don Pepe.  Would we do this again?!  Heck yeah!  Though, admittedly, we like the idea of just taking another, perhaps different, food-centric road trip adventure sometime in the future.  BUT!  If we ever end up in Fresno again, we know where to get tacos.

Taco Trail, Day 1

Taco Trail, Day 1

Sacramento, Modesto, Turlock

July 2, 2016

Not too long ago, Saveur magazine featured a taco-centric road trip, and it happened to take place in California.  With the 4th of July weekend coming up, we wanted to get out of town, and we decided to take the Taco Trail ourselves.  We started at the top of the trail and finished short of the end in Fresno (the original trail ended in Bakersfield, about 100 miles further).  In order to survive our Taco Trail (7 stops in a day and a half), we decided to order (and share) only two tacos at each establishment, and one of those tacos had to be the type mentioned in the article.

photo by Jasmine

Taqueria Mi Lindo Apatzingan, Rio Linda, chicken tacos

Our first stop was in Rio Linda, just outside of Sacramento.  As we neared our destination, the voices (Google Maps) took us from one little street to the next, and we began to wonder if we were heading to someone's house (Maybe they sold tacos out of the garage?).  Instead we landed at a run-down little strip mall in the middle of a neighborhood.  Before we even got there, we both declared our intention to violate the self-imposed 2-taco rule; we were simply too hungry.  SO, we each ordered a chicken taco (as mentioned in the article), I added a lengua (beef tongue) to my order, and Patrick the al pastor (barbecued pork); we both had rice and beans.  The chicken in the tacos was very good - dark meat, nicely marinated with charred little fatty bits - though the taco as a whole was lackluster.  Patrick's al pastor was okay, but my lengua was deliciously tender and packed with flavor.  The rice was average, and the refried beans were good but on the salty side.  The real winner here was the agua fresca.  If you don't already know agua fresca, it's a drink made of (not always, but in this case) fresh fruit blended with water and sugar.  It's magical - it tastes like the fruit itself, liquefied, as if nothing at all has been added.  We had watermelon.  Patrick got the large, which amounted to about a quart of watermelon juice.  It was so, so good.

photo by Jasmine

Chando's Tacos, Sacramento, cochinita pibil

Next up, Chando's Tacos in Sacramento.  Patrick, full of watermelon juice at this point, was sad to realize the 2nd stop was 10 minutes from the first.  He promptly reinstated the 2-taco rule.  Here, a small, stand-alone building across the street from a gas station in the middle of nowhere occupied a space half as large as the parking lot dedicated to it.  Just outside, close to the order window, a large grill filled with marinated chicken sent a delicious aroma into the air.  We ordered the cochinita pibil and carne asada.  (Damn the 2-taco rule!  I came up with that rule and already regretted it.  It should have been a 3-taco rule.)  The tortillas here were a little more rubbery than what we had at Taqueria Mi Lindo, it seemed unlikely they were freshly made.  I found the carne asada (marinated, grilled beef) to be bland and chewy, saved only by a generous dollop of avocado.  The cochinita pibil (pork braised in achiote marinade and shredded, to oversimplify things) was juicy, packed with flavor and a hint of spice - a delicious taco.  Patrick, living in an alternate universe, really liked the carne asada, especially the creamy guacamole against the spicy grilled meat.  He found the cochinita pibil to be bland, a nondescript stewed meat.  Clearly, we weren't eating the same two tacos.

photo by Patrick

Viva Taco, Turlock, carnitas

Silvestre Valencia, the gentleman who runs this truck bus in Turlock was the star of the Saveur article, and it's easy to see why.  He's a sweet, talkative man.  He asked us what we liked best (carnitas); I asked him how he made this and that, and he has no secrets.  Since it had been 2 hours since we last ate, I was able to talk Patrick into three tacos.  We had the carnitas (pork braised in lard and shredded, essentially), barbacoa (stewed beef), and chicken.  These were the type of tacos Patrick really loves - small corn tortillas with just enough filling and a barely there garnish of raw, diced white onion and chopped cilantro.  The chicken was unlike anything I'd had before: chunks of dark meat cooked in chicken base with salt and chili powder.  I can't say it was my favorite, the flavor was fine but the texture, mushy.  The barbacoa was tender and well seasoned but the carnitas stole the show.  The shredded pork shoulder was juicy and flavorful, complete with crispy porky bits; a little greasy, but so tasty it didn't matter.  The partly chunky, partly creamy pinto beans were surprisingly good for how simple they were, only salt and garlic added (as I said, no secrets).

photo by Patrick

El Mexicano C, Modesto, cabeza

It wasn't until we visited the taco bus that we realized we overshot the intended third stop.  This taco truck is so off the grid, Google couldn't find it by name and I mistakenly had us set to go off-trail.  So, back to Modesto we went for cabeza tacos at El Mexicano C.  We ordered cabeza (beef head), carne asada, and fried serrano peppers and onions.  The handmade tortillas were delicious, arguably the best part of the simple, ungarnished tacos.  The finely minced carne asada lacked flavor.  The cabeza, moist and sticky shredded meat, was delicious, but it needed a punch of acid or spice, more than the accompanying lime wedge could provide.  Both of these tacos would have benefitted from a little onion-cilantro garnish, or perhaps a touch of salsa.  The fried serrano peppers and onions were thrown straight into the deep fryer - no batter or coating; good, but the chilies were spicy as heck, the onions a little too oily.


Four places down, three more to go.  The Viva Taco bus was our winner, so far... 

Hawker Eats

photo by Patrick

Hawker Eats, Lunch, Inner Richmond
June 19, 2016

P:
Karaage Curry Rice - House marinated chicken fried bites, house made mild curry with carrots, potatoes, onion, curry aioli drizzle, garlic toast crisp
House infused water w/ pineapple, strawberry, mint, and cucumber

J:
KO Ramen - House made pork belly, house made tonkatsu, rich bone broth, black garlic oil, sous vide egg, seaweed, green onion
House infused water w/ pineapple, strawberry, mint, and cucumber


Notes:
We recently found this place while strolling through our neighborhood.  It's owned an operated by two people - one in the kitchen, one in the dining room.  While it was quiet on a Saturday afternoon, I've seen crowds waiting outside for a table on weekend nights.

Judy, the dining room half of the team, came off as a little pushy, or as I like to put it, "excited about their menu".  We were the only table in the restaurant at first, and she spent a good bit of time telling us all about, oh, everything.  The menu is HUGE, inadvisably large, given the number of people in the kitchen (ahem, one, remember?).  Case in point, we only ordered an entree each and my ramen was served several minutes before Patrick's curry, with no one else in the restaurant.  A table of 5 came in shortly after we were served; I watched as their dishes came out practically one by one.  Their last dish hit the table at least 5 minutes after the first, and unacceptably long period of time when guests aren't sharing entrees.  BUT, I'll stop going on about that because the food was pretty damn good.

My ramen was delicious.  Milky, rich pork broth was the star here, rich and full flavored but not heavy.  Bouncy ramen noodles were hidden inside the broth, beautiful slabs of roasted pork belly rested atop, and the sous vide egg floated off to the side, waiting to be broken, allowing the oozy yolk to enrich the broth.  The black garlic oil was earthy and pungent; sliced green onions added a fresh bite.  It was quite a dish, and I just about polished it off.

Patrick's curry was also very nice.  This wasn't like the curry we're familiar with at Volcano, it was more vegetal, smoother in texture, and spicier.  The chicken pieces were well-fried and super crunchy, and the meat inside incredibly juicy.  The steamed rice was a shorter, fatter grain, closer to sushi rice, and the little green salad piled on top of everything offered a refreshing pause every now and again.

The house infused water was a giant Mason jar filled with ice cold water, sprigs of fresh mint, and huge chunks of strawberry, cucumber, and pineapple.  While quite delicious, it was ridiculously expensive for what it was, and we're not sure we'd order it again.


Hawker Eats is a cute little neighborhood place, and we may go back.  I would want to avoid the place on a busy night; I just can't handle watching two people cook and serve food to an entire room of people, one by one.

Lou's Cafe

photo - Yelp, Bailey N.

Lou's Cafe, Inner Richmond, Lunch

June 4, 2016

P:

Loquito - Chicken Breast, Avocado, Lime Juice, Jalapeno Rings, Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips, Monterey Jack Cheese, Lou's Special Sauce, on a Soft and Sweet Roll, toasted

J:

Design your own - Soft and Sweet Roll, Turkey, Everything (Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onions, Pickles, Lou's Special Sauce, Jalapeno Spread), Avocado

Notes:

Lou's is open 6 days a week, and on the weekends at least, there is always a line out the door - which may have been the reason it took us so long give it a try.

I am VERY into sandwiches, I always have been.  For some reason no one here in California seems to know how to make a good, basic, regular ol' submarine sandwich.  Instead, sandwiches around here are always on some fancy bread or roll, with wacky fillings, and they're toasted.  They're always toasted, for the love of Pete, always.  What is so wrong with a cold sandwich?  Now, I have nothing against those wackadoo sandwiches, or toasted sandwiches, but sometimes I just want a basic sandwich, with basic fillings on a soft white roll.

Well, I may have hit the mother lode at Lou's.  I had to build my own, but I was pretty happy with what I got.  The bread-to-everything-else ratio was a little off (the roll was a tad too big), but that was my only complaint.  Okay, yeah, and the green leaf lettuce may not have been shredded iceberg, but I still enjoyed every bite.  I heeded the advice of the menu board and went with their sauces, versus my preferred mayo+mustard (and oil & vinegar, when it's offered), and I regret nothing.

From their menu board:

Lou's Special Sauce is an aioli base spread which consists of garlic, mayonnaise and other natural herbs blended to perfection.  The Jalapeno Spread has an olive oil base designed to complement Lou's Special Sauce to add a hint of spice!  Ask for extra Jalapeno Spread to elevate the level of spiciness!!!

"TRUST US, YOU WANT LOU'S SPECIAL SAUCE AND THE JALAPENO SPREAD TOGETHER ON YOUR SANDWICH!!! TASTY AND DELICIOUS!!!"

Trust us, it says!  Tasty and delicious, it says!!  (Trust them.  They don't lie.)

Patrick isn't into sandwiches.  Patrick was...well, he'll have something else next time.  He picked one of Lou's menu board options - and Lou's has alot of 'em.  This one just seemed to have too much going on for him, and it didn't hit home.  I didn't care for it so much, but I was there for basic, and this one was wackadoo.  Though, I will say that soft and sweet roll toasts up nicely.


We will definitely brave that line again for a delicious Lou's sandwich.  Someday.

Joe's Taco Lounge

photo - Yelp, Ann S.

Joe's Taco Lounge, Lunch, Mill Valley
May 28, 2016

P:
GRILLED CHICKEN  w/ spicy chipotle salsa, lettuce, cilantro & onions
AGUA FRESCA, strawberry

J:
MARINATED GRILLED FISH  Pacific snapper w/ salsa fresca, habanero mayo, cabbage & lime


Notes:
We decided to spend a day wandering around Mill Valley, and came across this taco joint on our way into town.  "Fish Tacos" was painted on the front window, and that was enough for me.*  Joe's is a curious little place with bottles of hot sauce and religious paraphernalia lining the walls, little faux-crystal chandeliers, colorful plasticized table cloths and a horseshoe-shaped bar in the center where the cashier greets all who enter.

There was only one choice for fish tacos, and I took it.  They were surprisingly good.  I love fish tacos, but for some reason I haven't found any in California worth talking about, until these.  The grilled fish was heavily seasoned, moist and flaky topped with just enough chopped cabbage and finished with salsa and a nice drizzle of spicy mayo.  We're talkin' taco harmony - hot and cold, tender and crunchy, light yet filling.  Okay, this wasn't the best fish taco I've ever had, but it's pretty good for what I've had in California, so far.

Patrick was less pleased.  The grilled chicken was heavy on the char and overbearing.  The salsa was watery and caused the tortillas to fall apart in his hands.  The chipotle salsa was nice, but couldn't save the day given everything else.

It's hard to say whether we'd go back since we don't find ourselves in Mill Valley very often.  but if we did, and I had a fish taco craving, this would be the place (and Patrick would happily order something different).


*Fish tacos were a thing in Austin, or at least, that was where I first heard of them; and I thought it sounded like one of the worst ideas, ever.  To me, tacos were crispy shells with seasoned ground beef; taco night at our house when I was a kid was a special time, and that's all I knew - crispy shells and seasoned ground beef.  And fish, well that was something you ate fried or broiled and with steamed broccoli.  It took me years before I would even try a fish taco.  But once I did (I think with the very same friend who got me to try cilantro - which I also love), I was hooked.  Grilled (not fried), seasoned fish in soft corn tortillas with some sort of crispy cabbage slaw and spicy condiment - there are endless options, and I like it all kinds of ways.  It is one of my absolute favorite things.  I feel like I say that often, but it's always true when I do.

Eagle Cafe

photo - Yelp, Audrey P.

Eagle Cafe, Lunch, Fisherman's Wharf
May 8, 2106

We stopped here after quick bite at The Codmother.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, we (6 of us) were on the wharf, the day called for oysters and cold beer, and since The Codmother had neither, we had to find another spot.

Before I go any further, I must tell you that I don't have many good things to say about the food in and around Fisherman's Wharf.  Most of it just isn't very good.*  This area is the quintessential tourist trap, in that there is little more to do here than peruse the endless array of souvenir shops and wax museums.  I'm oversimplifying of course; I'm sure Fisherman's Wharf is perfectly lovely for some.  But anyway, there we were, in Fisherman's Wharf with a group of people in need of oysters and cold beer, and the best spot we could find was on Pier 39, the mothership of the Wharf.

Aaannd there was a 45 minute wait for that best spot.  Sooo, we went next door to a place called Eagle Cafe, and had some of the most mediocre seafood you could ever have while practically sitting on the ocean.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good and it was expensive.  Patrick liked his lobster bisque okay, though thought it tasted more of cream than lobster.  The fried calamari was fine.  The oysters were average.  The crab cocktail was...actually, that one was decidedly not good.  The crab tasted watered down, I highly doubt it was local (based on its placement on the menu and since crab has had a tough season around here lately), and I'm not even sure it was fresh (vs frozen).  The cocktail sauce was pretty much ketchup, and hard, stale water crackers were served alongside with a sad, slimy little lemon.  Yuck.  Overall, I've had fresher, more flavorful seafood in Austin.  That's in Texas, people, and it's landlocked.  What's wrong with this picture?


*Patrick disagrees with this statement.  There is one place worth going to, he says, but since he hasn't taken me there I can not corroborate this claim.

*(part II) I am a sucker for the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Boudin, though.

*(part III) Okay, and The Codmother; that place is good.

The Codmother Fish & Chips

photo - Yelp, Steve R.

The Codmother Fish & Chips, Lunch, Fisherman's Wharf
May 8, 2016

P&J:
Fish and Chips
Combo (Fish/Shrimp/Chips)


Notes:
If you ever want need fish and chips in San Francisco, this food truck in Fisherman's Wharf is the place to go.  The pieces of cod are sizable, the batter coating fries to a puffy, golden crisp without being overly greasy.  The chips are fantastic.  The fried shrimp are plump and juicy.  If they served beer (our friend wanted needed beer), we would have been there all day, but instead had a snack (or 1st lunch) and moved on.  In a sea (heh.) of horrible options on Fisherman's Wharf, this is a little gem; though not a hidden one, apparently, I hear the line can get outta hand.

We would definitely go back.

CatHead's BBQ

photo - catheadsbbq.com

CatHead's BBQ, SOMA, Lunch
April 3, 2016

P:
Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder with BBQ Baked Beans and Mustard Slaw
Cathead Biscuit with Honey Butter and Pepper Jelly (to share)
Sweet tea ("Good," says Patrick.)

J:
Coca-Cola Smoked Brisket with Pimento Mac & Cheese and Dandelion Green Potato Salad
Unsweetened Tea ("Bad," says Patrick.)


Notes:
CatHead's is another one of those places on that BBQ list I was telling you about.  The main attraction here, if not the barbecue, is the cathead biscuit, so named because it is as large as a cat's head.

This is one of the first barbecue places I've ever been to which didn't allow for a "plate" with more than one meat choice.  Not to suggest that I couldn't have done this, but I allowed the menu to be my guide, and decided to stick with the "BBQ Plate with two sides".  The plates come with a mini-cathead biscuit, but since I believed the biscuit to be the reason we were there, I insisted we get a "regular" cathead biscuit and forego the minis.  The guy at the counter kindly substituted extra pickles in place of the biscuits.

We ordered, collected our drinks and utensils and sat at the bar overlooking the smokers.  As we waited, I tasted the different sauces at the counter: the usual BBQ, a mustard sauce, and a habanero sauce.  The BBQ sauce was average, the mustard sauce good (though not as delicious as Black Bark's mustard sauce) and the habanero sauce - delicious - smooth and thick with a wonderfully sweet heat.  Very nice.  Several minutes later, we were served.  The sides, in all cases, were generous.  My brisket portion was average if not a little less than, and Patrick's pulled pork was an insane mound of shredded goodness, which we had to assume was a heavy-handed error - no way was that the usual serving size. 

Everything was good, but I think the biscuit and sides stood out more than the barbecue, which is probably not the best thing to say about a BBQ joint.  I liked the pork more than Patrick, he didn't care for the way in which it was doused in sauce.  He preferred my brisket, but I thought it was on the dry side and didn't have much flavor.  The BBQ Baked Beans were well balanced and super-tender; a thumbs up, and Patrick isn't easy.  The slaw he thought good, but not great, and I'd say the same.  The loose and mashy Dandelion Green Potato Salad wasn't pretty but it was damn tasty, though the strong vinegar flavor of this creamy concoction got to be a little much towards the end.  Finally, the mac and cheese was good but nothing extraordinary, though it did hit the spot.

The cathead biscuit was probably our favorite part of it all.  It was crispy and buttery on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside.  The butter was generously sweetened with honey and the pepper jelly was so, so good, but there wasn't enough of it for that giant biscuit.

Barbecue can have off days, so we're not ready to dismiss this place, but we're not ready to call it a favorite, either.

Beauty's Bagel Shop

photo - C+N Creative via Mohawk Connects

Beauty's Bagel Shop, Temescal, Lunch

March 19, 2016

P:

Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, toasted with cream cheese

J:

Classic, Open Face, on toasted Everything Bagel

Hand-sliced Lox, Cream Cheese, Red Onion & Capers

Notes:

This is a place I've been to a couple of times before, but this was Patrick's first visit.  A Beauty's bagel is of the Montreal Style, which is hand-rolled, boiled in honey-water and baked in a wood-fired oven.  The result is a more diminutive bagel, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.  For all of these reasons, I'm a fan.

On every occasion that I've been here, and any occasion in the future, I have and I will order the Classic.  One of my absolute favorite things is this - a bagel (preferably, Everything bagel)  with cream cheese, smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, capers, and a slice of fresh tomato.  That combination of flavors just does something for me.  (It gets me excited!!)  On this visit there was no tomato, since they're out of season - or at least I hope that's the reason - but I was still perfectly happy.  Next time, I'll try it un-toasted, I just found out that's a major thing.

Patrick was satisfied with his bagel and cream cheese.  It wasn't anything for him to scream and shout about, but it was all-in-all good.  The beauty of this place (ha!  I'm not changing it!) is their extensive menu, so you're bound to find something good, even if bagels don't ring your bell.  Trouble is, if a bagel is all you need, and you don't have a bagel obsession (see "that's a major thing", above), you might be just as happy at House of Bagels, which is only blocks away from our apartment.

I'll definitely return for the Classic, though.  Maybe when tomatoes are back in season.

Souvla

Photography by Kassie Borreson | kassie.info

Souvla, Hayes Valley, Lunch
March 13, 2016

P:
American Homestead Pork Shoulder Sandwich
Minted Greek Yogurt, Cherry Tomato, Pickled Red Onion, Cucumber, Feta Cheese

J:
Superior Farms Lamb Leg Salad
Harissa-Spiked Yogurt, Cucumber, Radish, Pickled Red Onion, Feta Cheese

P&J:
Greek Fries, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Parsley, Mizithra Cheese
Greek Iced Tea
Frozen Greek Yogurt, Baklava Crumbles, Syrup


Notes:
Here we are, in Hayes Valley for a late lunch, in the rain, and there are people everywhere.  Souvla was packed, but we were hungry, so we muscled our way into the crowd to take a seat.  After ordering, of course.

Souvla is a fast-casual Greek spot with a simple menu concept: spit-roasted proteins (pork, chicken, lamb) are offered in either sandwich (wrapped in pita bread) or salad (over chopped romaine lettuce and kale) form with a few sides to round out the menu.

Patrick opted for the pork shoulder sandwich.  It looked amazing, but was a little hard to eat; the pita bread was perhaps too-generously packed full of goodness.  Halfway through, pork fat dripped from the sandwich, pooled on the paper lining of the enameled metal tray below it and trickled down Patrick's hand.  The sound of this may or may not appeal to you, but I do not shy away from fats of any sort, and this was a little off-putting to me.  That said, the roasted pork was delicious, as were the soft pita and accompaniments.  Patrick, on the other hand, would have preferred a little more pork flavor, he felt the marinade(?) took over.

My lamb salad was delicious.  Coarsely chopped greens were coated with the fat and juices from the roasted lamb while tart Greek yogurt and tangy little crumbles of Feta cheese balanced the richness.  The meat was moist and flavorful, though not particularly "lamby".  Not a bad thing as far as I was concerned, but still, Patrick was looking for more of that "meat" flavor.

The Greek Fries were perfectly fine, but nothing more than plain ol' fries - the embellishments didn't stick around (literally) to add anything.  I might have preferred these more with a dipping sauce, but I somehow missed that as an option when we were ordering.  Next time we'll try the "Juicy Potatoes", bathed in rotisserie drippings.  (They looked delicious!)

Surprisingly, the frozen Greek yogurt was outstanding.  They have a soft serve machine hidden in plain sight at the front counter, quietly pumping out the most perfectly-not-too-sweet, rich and tangy frozen yogurt.  It was amazingly good and the perfect foil to such a rich lunch.  The baklava topping I didn't care for, however, it was cloying with entirely too much clove.  I left most of that behind for Patrick, he seemed to enjoy it.

We'd definitely like to go back and try more things on their menu.