I saw these suckers in the Chronicle a while back and after a cursory glance, I decided to go hunting for them at my local Safeway.
A sure sign of the apocalypse. At your local grocery store.
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Wow…so after reading that last entry, I can’t help but feel like some sort of hedonistic bastard writing this one.
Located in San Jose’s illustrious (or pretentious…you decide) Santana Row, The Counter is another play on the “build-your-own-burger” concept. Wherein it is in your hands, dear diner, to select the individual components that will make up your custom built, and hopefully delicious, burger. I must admit I had my reservations first coming in…my past experiences with gourmet burger places have been lackluster at best. While solid in concept, I haven’t yet been to a place that has made gourmet burgers tasty enough to warrant coming back. Especially when I know there’s delicious, simpler, fresh burgers available for a much more palatable price…..*cough* In-n-out *cough*
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Okay, sorry everyone! I too have been a terrible blogger these past few months. Not like we have a ton of readers to satisfy, but I do apologize to you few who come check us out from time to time. Thanks, haha. Unlike Nate, I don’t have a great firewall of China blocking me from posting; I would attribute the dearth to general laziness as well as taking three classes while working.
You might have noticed a few tweaks here and there already, but some more changes should be on the way. I also will be moving away from strictly reviews, due to both a lack of restaurant adventures (which is in part due to a lack of greenbacks) and to liven up this blog a bit.
Many of you might know that I am a food snob, but necessity has dictated a new course for me. These two single serve packs, taken straight from the office cafeteria, have pretty much been my two best friends. Take a few each morning, buy a preservative-laden loaf of bread and bam, lunch for weeks. Yeah, I’m frugal/cheap/a scavenger/sad. I even skipped two chances for Dine about Town! I sound as if I’m regressing into poor college student mode; at least the kimchi ramen has not entered the picture.
In an effort to cut down on frivolous spending, I’ve been eating much more simple fare. Yogurt or cereal for breakfast. Leftovers and PB&J dominate my lunch time eating. Dinner varies, but usually our house eats pasta at least once a week. Waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries on the weekend. Hasn’t been bad by any means, but no juicy steaks or rack of lamb.
Well that sums up my gastronomic history these past few months. Hopefully it will get a tad more interesting in the near future. Until next time, stay tuned!
Whoa, whoa, whoa…what’s going on here? I disappear for four months and our blog goes under? Not on my watch.
Notice the intimidating eyebrows and the far more intimidating (and heavy) cleavers. They say that you know you’re Chinese if your mom owns a cleaver bigger than your head. Anyway, so if the above picture isn’t indicative enough, (which it isn’t) my last four months have been spent in China. And what was I doing you ask? Well, apart from taking ridiculous pictures, I’ve spent the last four months working for Chef Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook fame, helping to establish, observe, and ultimately learn at Chef Martin Yan’s Culinary Arts Center in Shenzhen, China.
…That was a mouthful.
Unfortunately, condensing and processing all that I’ve learned, seen, smelled, and, of course, eaten, will take much longer to figure out. It’s all whizzing around in my head waiting to be made sense of. So, before I mount the pulpit and expound on Asian food philosophy, (as if I had any) I’ve decided to leave this little blurb first, to let you all know that:
Firstly: No, we are not dead.
And secondly: entries will be resuming. I hope.
That’s all folks. Keep eating
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I will quickly admit that I am not an expert in Filipino cuisine. Lumpia and adobo anything pretty much covers the extent of my interaction with it. I’ve enjoyed it thus far, and I was looking forward to expanding my horizons. Thanks to the recommendations of some of my homies, I ventured out to this trendy spot in San Bruno in search of some tasty treats.
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Friday, December 28, 2007
January is here and that means new resolutions, new semesters, new projects, and San Francisco’s one and only…
Mmmm, looks the lineups been updated a bit since last year. As for me, my wish list is as follows:
- Foreign Cinema
- supperclub san francisco
- XYZ
- Big 4
- Aziza
Reserve quick or you might miss out on the good stuff. As always, make sure you check each restaurant’s menu to make sure you aren’t paying more for a DAT meal than a normal 3 course meal. Some restaurants even offer fixed price menus for less than the DAT. Heads up!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
My friend, Laurene, and I were starving, so we decided to look for something to eat in Bernal Heights. After a short deliberation (Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack was the other contender), we walked into Inkas. I’m not very familiar with Peruvian food, since I tried it for the first time when I moved up to the Bay for college. Mexican was pretty much the only Latin American cuisine that I had tried extensively. Based on my few experiences ceviche, fried chicken, and lots of potatoes seem to be the motifs of Peruvian cuisine. I’m definitely not complaining about that. Anyway, Inkas was an interesting experience, definitely one worth sharing.
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Fremont always evokes for me memories of high school and stifling suburban boredom. Though things have since begun changing, back in my day, (heh) Fremont had little to offer a restless high schooler but sprawling track housing and hills. Maybe it’s an age thing, but with time I began finding diamonds in the rough. Small cafes, restaurants, and dives that give Fremont more character than I had initially given it credit for. For one, Fremont’s large Indian population brings with it some damn good Indian food. And among the pack, Pakwan has quickly become my place of choice for warm, hand-made naan and spicy curry. Ho, yes.
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Monday, December 24, 2007
You may have guess this already, but just in case you didn’t… I love ramen. The rich saltiness of the soup, the chewy goodness of the noodles, the tender meat that melts in your mouth – a meticulously prepared bowl fills my senses with nothing but pleasure. No doubt you’ve seen my reviews of purveyors of the most venerable noodle (don’t worry, there will be many more). Juzo Itami’s film, Tampopo, is a love letter to this classic Japanese dish as well as a somewhat quirky look at the connection between food and Japanese culture. The storylines are fused together, much like the Rashomon-ified tales Traffic, Babel, or Crash, etc., but in a much different and almost perverse way. Makes for a good watch and definitely made me crave a bowl of ramen.
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Pizza is one of my great loves. I have to admit, I was not the biggest fan when I was a young lad; it must be the options that were given to me – Pizza Hut, Domino’s, etc. Well, something must have clicked during those long nights studying in Berkeley and the pie and I became buddies. While Cheeseboard first got the juices flowing, the Bay Area provides quite a myriad of options when it comes to pizza. Golden Boy Pizza always does the trick when I’m in North Beach. If you’re craving the Sicilian stuff, this is your spot. In fact, Golden Boy is arguably the best pizza in all the city. I said it.
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