Yuzu Sushi & Grill

54 37th Ave
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 358-0298

Yuzu is located on the more quiet side of San Mateo. The street was dim, and so was the outside of this shop. Yuzu is a small sushi shop that only consists of about 6 tables and a small sushi bar. The place smells like grill and grease, which was a bit turn off for me.

My friends and I came right on time before happy hour ends. We ordered oysters and shrimp tempura that costs a dollar each. We also ordered a scallop salad, which was very delicious.

Scallop Salad

I ordered the sushi combo B with chef's choice of 10 pieces of sushi and shrimp head soup for $28. The restaurant is at the pricer side. I should have told the waitress what not to give me. I love raw fish, but I just cannot stand the texture of  raw shrimp and raw "fish" that has tenacles, which includes octopus, squid and cuttlefish. Sadly, my order came with raw shrimp (amaebi) and squid.

Chef's Choice B

The fish here is mediocore. The fishes are fresh but lack colors. Also the cuts of the fish are a little sloppy.

My friend ordered the stone pot fried rice, which sounded very good. But to our surprise, it was super fishy. We didn't really enjoy it.

I think I would definitely come back for the happy hour shrimp tempura and maybe some soju with it. I'm not sure about ordering the combo again though.

Mango Sticky Rice

I always crave for something hot and creamy during the winter, like porridge, soup and mango sticky rice. I like my mango sticky rice served hot with fresh cold slices or cubes of mangoes. The hot and cold, sweet and creamy combo make this desert simply irresistible.

Mango Sticky Rice

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups uncooked white glutinous rice

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 mangos, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 
  
• Instruction:
• 1. In a bowl, wash and then soak the rice in 1 1/2 cup of water for at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours. 
  2. Meanwhile, slice or dice the mangoes. Refrigerate. 
  3. Fill rice cooker with about 3 cups of water (a pot can also be used). Place a cheesecloth or a clean towel in a steamer, and place it in the rice cooker. 
  4. Pour the bowl of soaked rice and the water into the steamer. Let the rice steam for 45 minutes.
  5. While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat.
  6. Pour the thin coconut milk mixture in a bowl and reserve 1/2 cup in the sauce pan. Add cornstarch to the saucepan and allow the remaining mixture to thicken. Set aside. 
  7. When the rice is done, place it in a bowl. Drizzle the thin coconut milk over it, mix, and let the rice soak the coconut milk. Add more of the thin mixture until the rice no longer soaks. 
  8. Place the sticky rice on a serving dish. Arrange the mangos around it. Spoon a few tablespoon of thickened coconut mixture on top of the rice and mangoes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Momofuku Compost Cookie At Home

After I had a taste of Momofuku's compost cookies in New York City, I was in love with it! It's one of my favorite cookies along with Teacake's chocolate hazelnuts. So while shopping for christmas presents at William Sonoma, I came upon Momofuku's cookie mixes. I did not see the flavor I want, but a few weeks later, my boyfriend brought home my favorite one! Lo and behold...he bought the compost cookie one.

I highly recommend this box of goodie goodness. It's also available online at Momofuku Milkbar website. It's simple to do, and it tastes exactly like the store bought ones.

Everything is nicely separated into packets. The package has all the main component. I just had to add my own butter, an egg, pretzels and potato chips.

The mixture smells so good. The instruction said to separate the dough and roll it into 9 balls, but I rolled it into 10 instead.

The cookie turned out thin, soft and super chewy. The reason I really like this cookie is because it's sweet and salty, and it's chewy and crunchy. It's the perfect balance of flavor and mouth-feel.

231 Ellsworth

231 Ellsworth
San Mateo, CA
(650)347-7231
http://www.231ellsworth.com/

I came here twice and tried different items each time. The restaurant was dim and spacious. Tables were set far apart from each other, and the furniture was very rustic and old fashioned, which brought out the elegance of the place. The food is pretty good. I chose the 3 courses the first time, and 4 courses the second time...and both time I left with a super full but happy belly.

Diver Scallops

I recommend the scallop, braised beef short ribs and the foie gras. The scallop was very fresh and sweet. The roasted beet made the scallop even sweeter when eaten together.

Pan Seared Artisan Foie Gras

 I had the foie gras twice, once with peanuts and one without (due to friend's allergy). I actually prefer the one without the peanuts because the foie gras is heavy enough already.

Braised Beef Short Rib

The short rib was divine. It was so tender that it breaks apart with a scrape of a fork. The sauce is very rich and a bit salty. The white beech mushroom is so good with it. They were very generous with the Italian butter beans and yellow wax beans that lies underneath the beef. I couldn't finish all of it.

The service was very nice. I really like the amuse bouche they bring out in between some of the courses, and of course, the candy cart that the waiter rolled out toward the end of the night. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. The wine pairing was pretty worth it for the pre-fixe menu, you get to try a different half glass of wine for each course of the meal.

Ruth Chris Steakhouse

1601 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-0557
http://www.ruthschris.com/

Aside from the infamous House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, I kept hearing about Ruth Chris Steakhouse when the topic of steak comes up. I came here on a Saturday night for table of 6. Upon entering, the restaurant was lit dimly, was filled with rustic decors and smelled buttery and meaty.

I ordered the economy meal from their menu, which I get the choice of salad or soup, choice of an entree, and a chocolate cheesecake. I decided on a spinach gorgonzola salad and a filet mignon from corn fed Midwestern beef with vegetable.

The food at Ruth Chris was exactly like how I described the restaurant. The food lacked colors since everything was either grilled with loads of butter or covered in cream. Our waiter even warned us that the hot plate is covered with butter, and then more butter was poured over the steak when served...because everything taste better with BUTTER! I tried to be healthy and ordered vegetable side, but I failed because the veggie was covered in oil also.

The food was delicious since it was overly greased. My filet mignon was thick and super juicy and tender. But I was done after eating half of it since it was quite heavy.
After I was bloated, the chocolate cheesecake arrived! It was thick, richy and creamy. As

full as I was, I ended up eating half of that cheesecake because it was delicious! The fruit with the belvarian cream was a nice balance.

Overall, the experience was great. Our waiter was nice and helpful. The food was heavy but delicious, but I would think twice before I ever go back since it was too much food and grease for me.