Honolulu Cookies Company

Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Small Silver Chest Box

I am not a huge cookies fan, especially not with the pre-packaged ones. But of course, there is always an exception. One kind of cookies that I wouldn’t mind eating day and night is the shortbread from Honolulu Cookie Company. These cookies are only sold in Hawaii or online on the company’s website, so these cookies are luxuries for me. Luckily, I know someone who knows someone who travels to Hawaii, so I can get my hand on them without paying airfare or shipping. Thanks a bunch, my friends!

I have tried all of them except for the coconut ones, the dark chocolate likikoi ones and dark triple chocolate macadamia ones. All of them tasted great, and they are not expensive at all (except for shipping). That being said, I high recommend any of the chocolate covered macadamia, and the pineapple macadamia. Oh yes, and if you are going to Hawaii, please let me know! Thanks!!

To order, go to http://www.honolulucookie.com/

Jack in Box Deli Trios

Jack in the Box was giving out free Deli Trio grilled sandwich with any purchase last week. The Deli Trio consists of Genoa salami, sliced ham, roasted turkey, Provolone cheese and pickle filets with a creamy Italian dressing on grilled artisan bread, which was pretty big for a sandwich. Its calorie content worth as much as its size, coming in with 627 calories, 28g of fat and 2461g of sodium for the whole sandwich. That’s pretty much fills up half of my daily calories and fats, and exceed my daily sodium need. Needless to say, I still had to take a bite or two to see how it tastes. Thanks goodness for a sister who loves sandwiches and doesn’t get fat from eating unhealthy food.

I took two bites from her sandwich. I am amazed at how decent the sandwich taste when it is cold (even it is meant to serve hot); so I could only imagine how good it tastes when it is hot. I could taste the buttery Italian dressing on the grilled bread and the pickle filets--delicious! The pickle adds the right amount of tanginess to the sandwich. The cheese flavor was a bit strong, it definitely overpowers the meat. Even though I only took a bite or two, I was pretty thirsty from the saltiness. Overall, the sandwich as a whole is not bad, it is pretty average yet comforting, and oh yes, super salty.

2010 Big Eat SF List: #6 Basil & #31 Tacolicious

#6 Basil Gimlet at Rye

The Basil Gim at Rye was made like a mojito. But instead of using mint leaves, it was made with basil leaves. The basil was not overpowering. The flavor was just right, very refreshing.

#31 Tuna Tostada at Tacolicious

The tuna tostada was made with albacore tuna with “contramar-style” crispy leeks, chipotle mayo, and avocado. This tasted so good and so refreshing. The albacore tuna was a little bit lemony, which went great with the chipotle mayo and avocado. I will definitely go back for more!

Happy 125th Birthday Fior d'Italia

To celebrate its 125th birthday tomorrow, May 1st, Fior d'Italia will serve its original 1886 menu at 1886 prices! Valid from 11am to 4pm. Many great entrees for under 30 cents! For reservation, go to http://www.fior.com/.

I Get Free Noah's Bagel at Work, Now You Can Too...

http://bagels.static.contextoptional.com/noahs_Offers_4_26_coupon.html

Free Deli Trio Sandwich at Jack in the Box (expires 5/2)

Thanks Kathy!

Jamba Juice's 20th Anniversary Special Round 2

After their buy one get one, Jamba Juice has another special to celebrate their 20th anniversary! Got to love Jamba! Enjoy!

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh asparagus
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 cup soy milk
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Place vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
3. Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir salt, and pepper into the butter.
4. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk in lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

2010 Big Eat SF List: #7 Slanted Door & #73 Rotunda

#7 Crab with cellophane noodles at the Slanted Door

The cellophan noodles at Slanted door was very aromatic. I can smell the black pepper and sesame oil. It was nothing like I imagined because it looked very simple. The dish contained two main ingredients, which are dungness crabs and cellophan noodles; nevertheless, it was very tasty. The dish was small but it costed $18, probably because of the crab. I am going to try to remake it one day, if it's not successful, I'll just go back for more.

#73 Popovers with strawberry butter at the Rotunda

The popover at Rotunda looked nothing like the picture on 7x7.com. It looks like a crossant, but was quite dry and non-flakey. Unlike other popovers I had, it was not warm and custard-liked inside. It tasted only okay to me. It was very airy, thus it is completely hollow inside and got cold very fast. I only had popover twice in my life so far, and the other one I had was more custard-like, so maybe that's why I'm bias right now. The strawberry was very light, but the strawberry flavor did not really stand out. I don't think I would go out of my way to get this again.

2010 Big Eat SF List: #25 Tartine Bakery, #75 Coco500 & #84 Tommy's Mexican Restaurant

#25 Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine

Went to Tartine at about 6:30pm and most of their breads were already gone. Tartine's breads are made fresh out of the oven at 5pm from Wednesday to Sunday. When I got mine, it was still very warm in the paper bag. Only olive ones were left when I got there on a Wednesday, so I bought a loaf of olive bread. The bread itself was filled with olives, and the olives gave the bread really unique flavor. The crust were pretty hard and the inside were soft. The bread was good, but not super, maybe because I usually prefer bread that doesn't have too hard of a crust.

#75 Fried green beans at Coco500

These fried green beans are super duper addictive! The fried green beans come with meyer lemon aioli. The dish as a whole was very oily but the batter was very light and flakey. The beans tasted good by itself, and tasted even better with the meyer lemon aioli. As unhealthy as it can get, I would definitely go back for more.

#84 A Margarita at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant

I am a sucker for cocktails, but not margarita, especially a regular and unflavored one. I don't like that sour sweet taste with tequila. But I finally found one that I like very, very much--the margarita from Tommy's! I watched the bartender prepared this goodie. He put lots of ice in a blender, tequila and fresh squeezed lime juice. He also used a straw to test it before pouring it out for the customers. I don't know how to describe it, but it tasted nothing like those pre-mixed one or mixers. Ever since I had one, I'd been wanting more!

San Francisco 1st Annual Noodle Festival

Date and Time: Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm

Event Location: Grant Avenue (btw Pacific and Vallejo) & Vallejo Street (btw Columbus and Grant)

Ticket On Sale: $15 at http://noodlefest2010.eventbrite.com/

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot

34396 Alvarado Niles Rd, Union City, CA
(510) 675-9919
http://www.littlesheephotpot.com/

I love hot pot or fonduing because there are so many types of food on the table for you to choose and eat at all time until you're full. You can also order whatever you want off the menu whenever you want. Little Sheep's menu is extensive. They have many types of meat, seafood, vegetable, mushrooms, meat balls, animal intestines, noodles, soup base, cooked items and appetizers to choose from. I find that it is more economical if you order their assorted platter from each sections if you like varieties.

My hotpot usually consists of a type of fatty beef, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables! It is best to boil some meat in the soup broth and then boil the veggies after. The meats enrich the soup and the veggies absorb the flavor. The broth use for hotpoting is also very important because it adds flavor to the food you put in as well as soup you can drink in the end.

What sets Mongolian hotpot apart from traditional Japanese hotpot or American fondue is that they use herbs in their broth...thus, the soup supposes to be very good for you.

House original soup with tofu, handcut fatty beef, homemade shrimpballs, king mushrooms and assorted vegetable platter (peas sprout, lettuce, A choy and napa cabbage).

I also tried three different types of beef off their menu including the one below. I do not recommend the hand cut ones because they are much thicker, thus pretty rough even though it is quite marbled. The best one I had was the Supreme Fatty Beef Slice, very fatty but super flavorful and tender!

Hand Cut Fatty Beef

I had try their assorted homemade meat balls platter, which contains beef balls, lamb balls and shrimp balls. Out of the three, I really like their shrimp balls. It is super bouncy and fills with shrimp flavors.

Homemade Shrimp Balls

Last but not least, I HIGHLY recommend the Mongolian Beef Pie! It is a deep fried pie that contains minced beef in layers of flakey crust. It is super greasy (I use napkin to absorb extra oil), but it is SO good! I don't usually eat oily food but I can eat the whole pie if I want to!

Mongolian Beef Pie

I would go back to Little Sheep anytime. They also have another location at San Mateo. I'd been to Little Sheep twice so far, both times, I left feeling satisfied. All the pictures above were from what I ordered for my second visit. I should have taken pictures from the first visit, because my friends and I ordered an insane amount of food for three people, but this time, for two. But it is okay to over order, because they actually let you back your leftover soup to go...so no waste! The soup also taste great the next day especially if you add noodle to it!

Sophia's Thai Kitchen & Bar

129 E St, Davis, CA
(530) 758-4333
http://www.sophiasthaikitchen.com/

This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants of all time. It is not too authentic, but good and upscale casual Thai food with a teeny bit of American touch. The restaurant consisted of two separate building--one the restaurant with outdoor seatings, and one for the bar. Both very nice and classy, but casual! I recommend their regular or flavored mojito! It is very fruity and minty and bubbly! I think the bubbly part makes this mojito unique from other bar's mojitos.

One noticeable thing about Sophia's Thai is their free refills on Thai Iced Tea. It is also one of the better iced tea I had in the Thai restaurant catagory.

I also recommend their Crispy Calamari and Garlic Mushrooms for appetizers. The crispy calamari is the large cut kind, not the Italian kind. The spicy citrus sauce goes perfectly well with it. The garlic mushroom is super garlicky and super tasty since the mushrooms soak up all the flavors.

My favorite entree at Sophia's Thai is the Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry. It is eggplant stirfry in a red curry sauce. I hardly order curry at Thai restaurant, but this I ordered everytime. Unlike most watery curry at Thai restaurants, this one is very creamy and rich. This comes with either beef, chicken, shrimps, regular tofu or fried tofu and a side of rice.

Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry - Sauteed eggplants, bell peppers and fresh basil in red curry

My boyfriend likes their curry noodle. It is thicker round rice noodle with either red curry or green curry. They are very generous with the vegetables and meat that come with the soup.

Green Curry Noodle - Round rice noodles in green curry with fresh basil, bell peppers and green beans and snow peas

This noodle is very flavorful since the soup itself is made with curry. Although you have to take a risk on this one, usually the noodle is cooked perfectly but one time, it was overcooked. Other than that it is pretty good noodle soup!

This place makes a good lunch spot as well as dinner spot. I like coming here for dinner because after dinner, you just have to walk over to the bar and start sipping their delicious gourmet cocktails!

Savor

3913 24th Street, San Francisco, CA

(415) 282-0344

Went to Savor for dinner on a Wednesday night. First off, the place was very mexico decor liked but very modern. The place was a bit dim with fireplace and candle lights on the table. The side windows definitely let in a lot of natural lightings. There is also outdoor seatings with heating posts. The service was great. The waitress attended to the table very often and refilled my soda without even being asked. Awesome!

The menu at Savor is pretty similar to all other French Crepery, which always a type of Florentine Crepes along with Greek liked one, Tuscany liked one, one with Salmon or Pesto Chicken or Curry, etc etc. The only difference are the names and maybe one of two ingredients in it.

I usually order a florentine crepe, but as recommended by my coworker, I ordered the Tuscany this time. It was very flavorful. I never like meat in my crepe because I like my crepe "mushy", so I didn't really like the chicken, not that it wasn't tender, but just a personal preference. The crepe comes with a side of house potatoes and salad, but I just ordered mine with salad only. They give you a lot of everything! My salad was fresh and dressing was delicious!

Tuscany Crepe - Sauteed chicken breast with mushrooms, raosted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, pesto, roasted almonds and parmesan cheese

My coworker ordered the Barcelona crepe, which is like the florentine crepe, which consisted of spinach, cheese and onion. The glazed onion was amazing!!! It wasn't as flavorful as the Tuscany, but still filled with flavors.

Barcelona - Spinach and mushrooms with fontina cheese and glazed onions

I think this is one of the better crepery I'd been to, and I would definitely go back for their crepes.

Have You Seen My English Muffin?

So last Friday I brought an English muffin to work in a ziplock bag, hoping that I can put some stuffing it in and eat it lunch. But at lunch time, my coworkers and I decided to go out for food instead. Poor English muffin was then left in my locker. Before I leave for work, I took it out to decide a nice dry place for it so I can save it for Monday. Sadly to say, I did not see it or remember where I had put it on Monday. It wasn't in my locker, the fridge, under my desk, or anywhere in my cubicle.

In memory of my english muffin (who perhaps suppose to be paired with tuna salad):

English muffin with egg, Canadian bacon and shredded parmesan cheese

English muffin with smoked salmon, light cream cheese and cucumber

Must go buy more English muffin now because I have so many ideas of what to eat with them!

Oh Yogurt!!

I think I have mentioned that I am a big frozen yogurt fan, but never really mention that I am a BIG regular yogurt fan also! I am a sucker for different or creative flavors of light or non-fat yogurt. When I see new ones I never seen or those I have never tried, I'll get one...and then get more if it's good.

Here are just a few of my discovery over time, I am sure there are more but I just never took pictures of them. What do you think of these flavors?

I think Yoplait has one of the creamiest light yogurt with 100 calories per 6oz cup. It makes a really nice and healthy dessert.

Yoplait Light Yogurt's Red Velvet Cake - When I saw this on the shelf, I immediately grabbed one. Watching your weight? Try this yogurt as an alternative to a real red velvet cupcake. Of course, the texture will be different but the taste is pretty similar. I like it!

Light & Fit is one of my favorite. I think it's because it's light and fit! The texture of the yogurt is more watery though, thus lower in calories, with 80 calories per 6oz cup.

 

Dannon Light & Fit's Toasted Coconut Vanilla, Apple Pie and Pomergrante Berry - Yummo! I don't like vanilla ice cream but I like vanilla yogurt. I think Light & Fit's vanilla is my favorite. Now it's even better because it is flavored with coconut! They also have cherry vanilla, which is also very, very good! The apple pie was kind of weird. It has cinnamon powder and chunks of apples in it. It was okay, I probably won't get it again. I have yet to try pomergrante berry. They are in my fridge right now. I will try them in the next two days. Update soon! Oh yes, do try the strawberry cheesecake one! Good stuff!

Lucerne's another one of my favorite along with Dannon Light & Fit. Lucerne's yogurt is thicker but not as creamy as Yoplait. And yeah, I went a little crazy with my yogurt run below. Lucerne yogurt is about 90 calories per 6oz except for plain, which is 80 calories per 6oz.

Lucerne Light Yogurt - Passion Orange Pineapple, Kiwi Lime, Lemon Chiffon, Limited Edition's Gingerbread, Peach, Barlett Pear Mangoesteen and Key Lime - They are all good, period! The Barlett Pear Mangosteen has pieces of pear in them! The Kiwi Lime is one of my favorite, you can actually see the seeds of kiwi in the yogurt. Passion Orange Pineapple was a bit too sweet for me but yummy regardless.

I will continue on my yogurt look. I think I love all fruity flavor as well as dessert inspired one except for chocolate. I don't know why, but I think I will be brave and try that next time.

King of Noodle

1639 Irving Street, San Francisco, CA
(415) 566-8318

I first heard about this place from my coworker, and thought I must give it a try since I love noodles. I came to King of Noodle on a rainny Sunday afternoon with my sister, and there was a line to get seats. The wait was dreadful because I was hungry and the aroma of food from the tiny restaurant smelled so good. The service was okay, it looked like family run and low on staffs.

I didn't know what to order at first besides knowing I want their noodle. After sighting a few tables ordering the same dishes, I assumed those must be good or specialty. My sister and I ordered the Homemade Noodle with House Special Sauce, Pork Dumplings with Napa Cabbages and Soup Dumplings.

Homemade Noodle with House Special Sauce - Long uncut noodle with black bean sauce, onions, string beans and tofu

By the time the waiter brought the bowl of noodle to the table, it was lukewarm. I wish it would be a bit hotter. The noodle was delicious! It looked homemade because it was so long and he waiter had to come over and cut it up for us. The sauce was really good. It wasn't super starchy.

Pork Dumplings with Napa Cabbage

These dumplings reminds me of the ones from San Tung. Nothing too special.

Soup Dumplings

I love the soup dumplings here. This was probably the second best soup dumplings I had (the best being Ding Tai Fung in Arcadia, CA). The wrap was thin but enough to hold all the stuffing and soup in. It was not overstuffed with meat, thus each dumplings have plenty of room for plenty of soup. The soup was very tasty and wasn't overly salty.

I would definitely come back here to try the other noodle dish because I like the noodle very much. Also, definitely order a couple plate of soup dumplings with it.

Ahi Poke

Ahi poke is an appetizer consists of marinated tunas. It is very fast and simple to make, which is perfect for any potluck or even elegant occasion like cocktail parties. Just serve them on a spoon or martini glasses! Ahi poke is also great with crackers and chips because they give the tuna that extra crunch.

serving: 4

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh filet
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon siraccha hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
3/4 tablespoon crushed dried red pepper flakes (optional)

Instruction:
1. Dice the tuna filet according to sizes. If you want to serve the ahi poke by itself, I suggest bigger cube around 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. If you want to serve it on crackers or chips, smaller will be better.
2. In a bowl, mix the tuna with soy sauce, hot sauce and sesame oil.
3. Lastly, mix in green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
4. Cover with saran wrap and let it chill in the refridgerator for an hour before serving. You can also serve it as it is.

Alaskan King Crab Legs' Night

My friend Dezirae was hosting a Crab Legs' Night at her house last Friday. She kindly bought a bunch of crab legs and two crabs from Costco the same day, and carried them all home. Also thanks her boyfriend, Ben for  preparing them for us. Love the garlic butter!

 It was also a potluck and the crabs pretty much made it a seafood night! Almost everyone showed up with seafood related dishes.  

Half the batch of yummy Alaskan King Crab Legs. They were so meaty and were so, so fresh and sweet!

Almond Covered Cheese with Crackers

I brought Ahi Poke and Pop Chips. Recipe will be posted up soon. Super light and easy appetizer.

Garlic Shrimps. Thanks Ben for peeling them all!

I never had so much crab before. I usually just eat one small leg and that's it. But this time, I managed to piled up one king crab leg, one regular crab leg and one regular crab claw. Yay!

2010 Big Eat SF List: #18 Swan Oyster Depot, #23 Rosamunde Sausage Grill & #55 Bush Street Out the Door

#18 Oysters on the Half Shell at Swan Oyster Depot

The oysters on half shells were pretty tasty and fresh. I saw the waiter shucked them open when I ordered it. The sauce was amazing. It consisted of vinegar, onions, parsley and other goodness.

#23 Beer Sausage with Sauerkraut and Grilled Onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill

The beer sausage definitely tasted homemade and different. It wasn't soft on the bite. It was harder compared to like a hot dog or link and such. I couldn't really taste the beer, only could taste the onion and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was so good!

#55 Chicken Porridge for Breakfast at the Bust Street Out the Door

This is by far one of the best porridges I ever had. It was so tasty! I could taste that they cooked it with chicken broth instead of water. The sliced chicken was very tender and fried onion and garlic made it even more delicious. I would definitely go back for more even though it is also probably the most expensive porridge I ever had.

2010 Big Eat SF List: #22 Saigon Sandwich, #29 Bix and #48 Anchor & Hope

#22 Vietnamese Roasted Pork Sandwich at Saigon Sandwich
This sandwich tastes really good even though I had it when it was cold. It was just typical Vietnamese sandwich with French bread, pickled daikon, cilantro and meat. What made Saigon’s distinctively good is the roasted pork! It was so flavorful and not super salty.

#29 Tuna Tartare and a Gin Martini at Bix

The tuna tartare was pretty good. The flavor was different from the typical soy sauce, ginger and green onion tuna tartare. It was served on a crispy wheat chips, which made a good contrast between the mushy tuna and crispy chip. I could also taste some guacamole underneath the bed of tuna. It was a light and refreshing appetizers. I don’t like gin and I don’t like martini, but surprisingly, the gin martini was not as hard as I thought it would be. It was easier to sip compared to say a vodka martini, nevertheless, I don’t think it was that great to make me order it again or any other martini though.

#48 Angels on Horseback at Anchor & Hope

Love the ambiance of this restaurant, dim but casual…very chill and relaxing. I don’t usually eat oysters, but I’ll eat them if I have to, and boy, am I glad I did. Angels on Horseback is bacon wrapped fried oysters. Bacon flavor was strong but not strong enough to cover the oyster taste, so I could taste both the ingredients. The combination was delicious! Genius!