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.

Moe's Original Bar B Que

photo - Yelp, Ashley H.

Moe's Original Bar B Que, Dinner, Daphne
July 27, 2016

P:
Pulled Pork and Brisket, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans, Jalapeno Cornbread

J:
Brisket ('Bama Style), Broccoli Casserole, Potato Salad, Jalapeno Cornbread


Notes:
Silverhill, Alabama was our next stop along the way to Little Rock.  Though our time in Silverhill was short, we spent a lovely evening with family and made time for some BBQ just outside of town.  It turns out Moe's is a chain, and a big one at that (There's even one in California!  Who Knew?!), but it wasn't short on character, and the BBQ was pretty good to boot.

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.

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.

Sam's Anchor Cafe

Sam's Anchor Cafe, Drinks and a Snack, Tiburon
May 28, 2016

P&J:
Chips & Onion Dip - Old bay potato chips, creme fraiche with caramelized shallots
Pink Lemonade - citrus vodka, lemon juice, sweet and sour, 7up and cranberry


Notes:
On our way back home from a lovely day in Mill Valley, we decided it was time for a Pink Lemonade.  Years ago, before I moved to California, a friend of mine told me about the must-have beverage at a place in Tiburon.  "But, don't drive there," he warned, suggesting that it was easy to have one too many - the drinks were potent, but didn't taste that way.  "Take the ferry," he said.  Tiburon is north of San Francisco, across the bay; the ferry terminal neighbors Sam's.

We walked into Sam's and through their empty bar to grab a seat on the sunny patio behind the restaurant.  Perhaps a little too sunny (and hot), there was only about 1 umbrella for every 10 tables, but I talked Patrick into it; it seemed a shame to drink Pink Lemonades anywhere but on a sunny patio on this gorgeous day. "We'll just have one," I promised.  So, we sat.  And sat.  And sat.  No less than 5 servers looked at us, sitting at a bare table but for a couple of menus, and never approached us.  About 10 minutes into this nonsense, a group of four was seated two tables away.  "If they are greeted before us, we're leaving," I thought.  And sure enough, they were.  So we left.  I was pretty disappointed, that I waited over 10 years to finally try a Pink Lemonade, and I wasn't going to have one.  But, as we walked back through the bar, Patrick persuaded me to take a seat there instead so we could have a drink.

Boy, am I glad he did.  Those Pink Lemonades were delicious!  The lemonade flavor was so strong that the booze went practically unnoticed; you really could get carried away with these, I'm sure.  We ordered some chips and onion dip to snack on while we enjoyed our lemonades - also very good.


Is it worth a trip to Tiburon for a Pink Lemonade?  Well, if you've never had one, sure.  But is it worth another trip?  I'd say unlikely, but you never know.

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.

The View Lounge

photo - Yelp, Dominic S.

The View Lounge @ SF Marriott, Drinks, SOMA
May 7, 2016

We ended up here looking for a place to have a drink and a chat with some out-of-town friends after a great meal in Chinatown.  I was familiar with this place only in that I knew it existed, and Patrick had been there himself a time or two, so we thought that might be as good a spot as any, especially with the view.

It was a Saturday night.  We walked through the expansive and near empty lobby of the SF Marriott and made our way to the elevators.  When the doors opened up on the 39th floor, I couldn't have been more surprised.  The place was packed.  Wall to wall people, a swarm at the bar, club music thumping loudly.  "Wait, this is the Marriott!" I exclaimed.  Since when did a Marriott become "the" place?

After pushing through the sea of people between the bar and seating areas, a small bank of seats opened up in a room off to the side, with little of the available view.  Our friends took the space; Patrick and I volunteered to get the drinks and headed back into the madness.  While Patrick squeezed his way through to the bar, I got up close and personal (not intentionally) with the couple next to me (I use the word "couple" loosely).  She's flipping hair everywhere, he's grabbing at her lady curves, she's bent over the bar chair.  "BUT THIS IS A MARRIOTT!!"  I thought.  It was so Jersey Shore; I couldn't handle it.

The drinks were good.  We had the Skyline Punch cocktail (white rum, pineapple juice, fresh citrus juice and brandied grenadine), and later shared a bottle of bubbles between the four of us.  The place eventually calmed down; we scored some seats near the windows and tried to figure out what was what in the city lights.  It was a fine end to a nice evening together.


We might go back someday, but never again on a Saturday night.  Oh, the horror.

The Cavalier

photo -Yelp, YueStudio Y.

The Cavalier, Snack, SOMA

J&Guest:

Corned Beef Scotch Egg, spring greens and chive creme fraiche

Thrice Cooked Fries, horseradish aioli

Cocktails:

Pimm's Cup, City of London Gin, Pimm's No. 1, ginger beer, cucumber, lemon, mint

The Treasure Hunt, Sipsmith Gin, Cocchi Americano, Tempus Fugit Cacao, lavendar bitters

Dark and Stormy, dark rum, ginger beer, lime juice

Notes:

My friend and I shopped the day away in Union Square and ended up at The Cavalier, being one of the few places around that was serving food at 4pm.  By the time Patrick joined us, we had already eaten a few bites, so he had a only cocktail.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't write about a place that Patrick and I didn't visit together, but I thought this worth mentioning since it's a question in my mind whether we would come back.

This place is on our list, with an upscale take on British pub food.  It's yet another restaurant in the Marlowe family, and I have a thing for these restaurants, the idea of them, at least.

My friend and I sat at the bar, and were eventually approached by "the aloof bartender", you know the type.  We ordered a couple of cocktails; nicely made, but it took longer than I think it should, a complaint I have in general with the "craft" cocktail.  For snacks, we opted for the Scotch egg and thrice-cooked fries.  The egg, a single egg, enveloped with a thin coat of finely shredded corned beef and deep fried, was served nestled in heavy sauce flecked with mustard seed and garnished with a few micro arugula leaves on the side.  The breading on the outside was paper thin, and evenly golden brown; when we cut into it, the white appeared tender and the yolk, perfectly runny.  It was a beauty, but it was nearly cold.  This masterpiece, this $15 egg, was cold, the sauce was oddly textured and unappealing (and definitely not the "chive creme fraiche" listed on the menu), and the little leaves of arugula were sharp with vinegar .  If I'm paying $15 dollars for AN EGG, it better be mother-loving perfect.  And it wasn't.

The fries were pretty awesome, though a paltry serving.  They forgot the horseradish aioli, and by the time I realized it, there was no bartender in sight to fix the problem.  And had I waited until there were, I would have had cold fries.  So I begrudgingly ate the delicious fries without the (delicious, I'm sure) horseradish aioli.

Soon after, Patrick joined us and ordered a dark and stormy from a different, slightly more amiable bartender.  The drink was terrible - entirely too much rum and not nearly enough of the ginger or lime - it was bitter and boozy.


So, after all of that, I'm not sure we want to come back here.  I'm not sure I want to give this place (and the food) another try based on my first experience.  If the prices weren't so outrageous, I might not be so...outraged.  But seriously, how could I not be?

Bill's Cafe

photo - Yelp, Danster L.

Bill's Cafe, Brunch, San Jose
April 24, 2016

P:
Chorizo Scramble - Chorizo, Avocado, Tomatoes and Onions topped with Cheddar Cheese.  Served with fresh salsa.
Sub buttermilk pancake for toast.

J:
Mexicano Omelette - Filled with Jalapeno Chilies, Avocado, Sour Cream, Jack Cheese, topped with fresh salsa.
Sub buttermilk pancake for toast.


Notes:
We found ourselves in San Jose on this bright and windy (late) morning for a little shopping and a bite to eat.  Bill's Cafe is a favorite of a close friend, so we figured that was a good enough reason to try it.

This is one of those places that I think would hold institution status if I knew anything at all about what's up with San Jose.  Why do I say that?  Well, the restaurant was packed, their parking lot full, and throngs of people were waiting outside for a table.  Across the street, at what seemed a perfectly fine place for brunch, if not a little fancier from what I could tell, sat a near empty restaurant.

Bill's Cafe is much like any classic diner: huge menu, quick food, bustling atmosphere.  And noisy.  OH, so noisy!  I had the pleasure of sitting next to the bus tub that day.  You know, that plastic bin where the plates and glasses are chucked after clearing a table (and before they make their way to the dish pit)?  Most often, this type of thing is cleverly stowed out of sight, but even then you can hear that unmistakable clash and clang emanating from its hiding place.  Not here.  This one was planted on the table top of the wait station right next to our table, and right next to my head.  Ear plugs would've been good.

Patrick seemed to be pretty pleased with his scramble, but most enamored with the uncommonly prepared hash browns.  They started with shredded potatoes, and appeared to have been cooked as a giant inch-thick slab, from which smaller sections were cut for plating.  "So what," you say?  Well, it's the interior that made these different.  The shredded potatoes must have first been cooked through by way of steaming or boiling, which resulted in an almost baked-potato-like fluffy interior with an evenly crisp, golden top and bottom crust.  These were quite good as far as hash browns go, and worth going back for.

I was equally hot for the hash browns, but much less so with my omelette.  The jalapenos were pickled, which I don't care for as much as fresh in this case, and it was not "filled with" avocado as I expected but instead topped with two slices (Patrick's scramble also suffered from the same affliction, but he didn't complain).  And aside from all of that, the eggs were terribly overcooked and dry.

The pancakes were a win, though - thick, fluffy, dark golden brown and not at all heavy.  The butter on the side was incredibly salty and whipped until light and airy, the sum of which equals perfect.  I couldn't eat a stack of these pancakes, but the one was just what I needed.


We're not in San Jose often, but if we were, and if our friend said "Hey, let's go to Bill's", we'd definitely go.  I'll just order something different, make sure to get the pancake, and try to avoid the bus tub.

Moss Beach Distillery

photo - Yelp, Don L.

Moss Beach Distillery, Dinner, Half Moon Bay
April 23, 2016

For the table:
Sweet Potato Fries - served with a spicy lime aioli
Coastside Crab Cakes - two pan seared crab cakes served atop a refreshing jicama-cucumber salad with a bay spice aioli and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce
Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip - topped with parmesan and baked until bubbly served with crispy flat bread chips

P:
Distillery Clam Chowder - creamy New England style chowder loaded with clams and potatoes
Pesto Stuffed Salmon - salmon filet stuffed with pesto, topped with a parmesan cheese and panko crumb crust, then finished in the broiler. Served with wild rice and sautéed seasonal vegetables
Distillery Decadence - warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge & whipped cream

J:
Dos Fish Tacos - fresh cod, grilled, dusted with Creole seasoning and topped with spicy lime aioli and cabbage. Tucked into homemade Jalisco style corn tortillas with fresh pico de gallo on the side


Notes:
We ended up here with a group to celebrate a close friend's birthday - this is one of his favorite spots.  And if I had to guess, it could have something to do with the view.  In my opinion, the view is really the only reason to come here, but frankly I don't expect much else from any place occupying such an idyllic spot, where land meets the sea.

We ordered a few things for the table.  The Birthday Boy really wanted the crab cakes, and I really wanted the spinach and artichoke dip (because, duh).  I also ordered some sweet potato fries, otherwise known as the vehicle responsible for bringing spicy lime aioli (ahem, mayonnaise) to my mouth.  These were all surprisingly good.  The spinach and artichoke dip came with deep fried pita wedges which didn't do much for me, so I ate this straight off a spoon instead.  It was piping hot and bubbly, loaded with cooked spinach, quartered artichoke hearts, and some gooey, creamy cheesiness held it all together.  The crab cake was mostly crab (shocking, I know), nicely browned on top and bottom, moist and sweet with crab flavor throughout.  The accompanying "salad" was an odd plateful of jicama and cucumber hunks, but that didn't take away from what seemed to be the hit at the table.  I stuck to eating dip from a spoon.

Fish tacos were my choice for the main course.  The corn tortillas were soft and doughy (not in an unappealing way) and tasted fresh.  The fish (cod?) was moist, flaky and well seasoned - it may have even been fresh, but it was hard to tell under the generous drizzle of spicy aioli and shreds of raw, undressed green cabbage.  Adequately tasty, or to put it another way, not disappointing.

Patrick was pretty unimpressed by his meal.  The clam chowder was good, though it tasted just like any decent, ready-made clam chowder.  But, the main dish was particularly hopeless: overcooked, dry yet watery salmon was topped with a mess of breadcrumbs and pesto, served next to flavorless, waterlogged kale and broccolini.  The rice was the best part, apparently.  He tried to end things on a positive note with a brownie and ice cream dessert; possibly a success for Patrick, but I found the brownie dry, crumbly and unsalvageable by neither ice cream nor hot fudge.  The Birthday Boy's fudge cake was tons better, but it's all relative, I suppose.

We probably wouldn't visit this place again unless under similar circumstances as this particular occasion.  Though, situated on the lower level of the restaurant is a large patio, well suited for a cocktail and a sunset, with blankets provided.  So, there's always that.  They do have an amazing view.

Kin Khao

photo - Yelp, Faye L.

Kin Khao, Dinner, Tenderloin
April 17, 2016

P&J:
Mushroom Hor Mok Terrine - curry mousse in-a-jar with mushrooms, crisp rice cakes
Yaowaraj Noodle - Bangkok Chinatown stir-fried noodles with chicken, XO sauce (dried scallop + dried shrimp + dried ham), egg, green onions, cilantro
Black Cod Taypo Curry - Monterey black cod poached in taypo curry, coconut milk, Chinese morning glory
Black Rice Pudding - served with burnt coconut sugar caramel, salty coconut cream, puffed rice+peanut+sesame praline all on the side

Cocktails:
Hua Hin Beach -  skipper demerara rum, coconut cream, lime, chocolate stout, salt, kaffir lime
Phuket Punch - gran classico, old tom gin, turmeric, lime, seltzer
Tom Yum - tanqueray gin, imbue vermouth, lime, galangal, lemongrass, angostura bitters, kaffir leaf


Notes:
Our first date was at a Thai restaurant, two years ago.  It wasn't particularly good (not that we were paying much attention), but so far we've made a tradition out of having Thai food on this particular day.  This was Patrick's first time here, and I'd been to Kin Khao only once before, soon after they opened, also about two years ago.  I don't remember my first visit too well, only that it left me with memories of "just okay", but some food-loving friends of ours had gone within the past year and raved about it, so it was time to give Kin Khao another try.

This restaurant is the brainchild of once-food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit, aiming to take back the cuisine of her native Thailand.  If you are no stranger to Thai restaurants, you might know what she means.  Most menus at most Thai restaurants are remarkably similar; they contain multiple sections of choose-your-meat, choose-your-spice-level dishes and nearly all of them include the obligatory Pad Thai (noodles), Som Tum (green papaya salad), and Gang Keow Wan (green curry), to name just a few.  And, sure, you'll find noodles, green curry, and a cucumber version of Som Tum on Kin Khao's menu, but the similarities end there.

We started with a couple of cocktails, Patrick chose his by recommendation of the server, I just picked one that appealed.  His, the Hua Hin Beach, a pretty, pinkish snow cone complete with paper umbrella, tasted not at all as fun.  It was pretty terrible, actually.  What smacked of tropical flavors was oddly savory and acrid; we couldn't tell what we were tasting, or what would have made the drink taste that way.  I tried the power of positive thinking "I bet those flavors will pair well with the food," but that didn't work - this was a big fail.  My first go, the Phuket Punch, was so strong on the Gran Classico (a bitter liqueur infused with 25 aromatic herbs and roots), it was all I could taste.  I love me some bitters (Angostura, to be exact, and reminiscent of Gran Classico) and soda (club, to be exact, and reminiscent of bubbly water), but this just wasn't for me.  My second attempt was a score, though.  The Tom Yum was a well-balanced, sweet and sour, refreshing concoction.

Less than 5 minutes after ordering, our meal began with the Hor Mok Terrine with crisp rice cakes.  Served in a little Mason jar, this light and creamy mousse was packed with red curry flavor, a bit of heat, and garnished with a dollop of salty coconut cream topped with threads of kaffir lime leaf.  But here the rice cakes stole the show.  They somehow managed to compress individual grains of puffed white rice into a crispy, delicate but sturdy square cake.  Do not conjure in your mind anything related to what you know as a rice cake, this was nothing like that.  When we finished the meal with less than a single square, we had them pack it up along with that one last bite of curry mousse - it was that good.

Next, we had the Yaowaraj Noodle which reached the table shortly after the terrine.  This was SO, so delicious.  Perfectly cooked, well-blackened noodles (I love that charred, smoky flavor) were generously seasoned with the complex, meaty sauce, most of which the noodles absorb.  Hidden in the tangle of noodles were wok-seared bits of chicken breast and fried (scrambled) egg, with cilantro and green onion strewn across the top to brighten things up.  A small dish of white vinegar(?) with little slices of Thai chili was nestled inside the bowl to be used as a condiment.  It was so perfect with the noodles, yet the noodles alone were so good, I couldn't decide which way I preferred it: with or without.  Patrick couldn't choose, either.

Third came the black cod.  Patrick is a sucker for black cod, and with good reason, it's a luscious, buttery fish.  The proportions of this dish were a little off though, or so I thought at first.  Just a few ounces of fish and a dozen or so thin stalks of Chinese morning glory (think spinach with crispy stems) were floating in a sea of curry sauce.  It would have been more appropriate to call this soup by the looks of it, but once we tasted that curry, we were happy to have so much of it.  The curry was bright, fresh, citrusy-sour, spicy and rich with velvety coconut milk.  The beautifully cooked cod stood up well to the strong flavors, but even still, there wasn't enough of it.  We ordered sticky rice to have with our meal; in hind sight steamed Jasmine rice would have been the way to go - there just wasn't enough of anything to soak up all that curry!  And yes, I straight ate it with a spoon half the time.

We finished the meal with the Black Rice Pudding, their only dessert offering and a phenomenally good one.  The pudding alone, more like a porridge, was fine but didn't have a ton of flavor beyond mildly sweet rice.  But the three simple toppings served on the side are what transformed the dish.  The coconut sugar caramel was silky and complex without being too sweet, the coconut cream was surprisingly light in texture and very salty, and the crunchy bits had bold, toasted flavors.  None of these toppings alone were quite as magical as all of these toppings together (well, I suppose you could go without the crunchies, if you had to).  We were each provided our own bowl in which to experiment with different combinations and ratios.  It was so much fun, and so extraordinarily tasty; what a great way to end the meal.


I loved the food here, though the cocktails were a little too try-hard, which was disappointing.  But, would we come back?  It's hard to say.  I'd like to.  I mean, I'd love to, but the place is ridiculously expensive.  We were there, from start to finish, for little over and hour and the tab was much more than you'd expect for such a laid-back yet fast-paced experience.  The service is casual and not terribly attentive, though friendly.  A handful of silverware is kept at the table in an enameled blue mug, chopsticks in a tin can.  It's hard to believe, but the restaurant was once on Michelin's Bib Gourmand list (defined as a favorite for good value - two courses and a glass of wine or dessert can be had for $40, which is definitely not the case now).  In October 2015, however, the restaurant was elevated to a single Michelin star; our area food critic revisited the restaurant this past February, noting that a particular dish received a whopping 35% price increase "in the last year".  Coincidence?  Probably not.  In my experience, it's not at all uncommon for menu prices to change after receiving a significantly good rating, but it's an unsavory practice at best, in my view.  I'm just not sure Kin Khao is worth it.

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.