WINGS

We just got back from Wing Wings; a small spot for, well.. wings in the Haight. What was particularly exciting about this place were the flavors. We got Wing Wing, Orange Miso (yes you read that right), Buffalo, and Angry Korean. Wing Wing tasted like teriyaki sauce with old bay (surprisingly delicious), orange miso surprisingly tasted strongly of both flavors, Buffalo was pretty spicy, and Angry Korean was sweet, earthy, and spicy with a hint of radish. The fries were seasoned with Old Bay (I prefer Tony Sachery's). Lots of meat reminded me of Plucker's from back in TX; we will definitely be back. I recommend the Wing Wing & Orange Miso flavors.

Tasty Treats in Texas

Ah, a cuisine I know well. Thankfully, I have very understanding parents when it comes to my obsession with food. As soon as they picked me up from the airport a few weeks ago, we went straight to Pappasitos (yes, it's a chain but a darned-good one!) for a plato fiesta - a must-have for the homesick Texan. Their best fajitas with their famous ribs and jalapeno-stuffed grilled shrimp with all the fixings (served family-style)! Charro beans, guacamole, arroz, tortillas, híjole!

But my favorite place to visit in all of Texas?? La Fogata - though it's the favorite Mexican restaurant of many celebrities (including Gov Rick Perry), I gotta say this restaurant has been a favorite de mi familia por as long as I can remember.  Queso fundido (I often crave this) & guacamole con tequila are a must, but the entrees and margaritas are also where it's at: the best margaritas, anywhere- I will bet you on this! Our favorite entrees are pechuga poblano (grilled chicken with a creamy poblano sauce- my favorite), chicken mole (spicy and perfect), y el chile relleno (!).

Favorite dish of all-time!

Also, I have to mention Malaga in Austin. Everything served is tapas style (small plates). They have an aged serrano ham served with manchego cheese (cold-cuts) that is always a favorite. Also their fried goat cheese is covered with honey and served with reduced sweet onions, classy and yummy. Just about everything here is great; especially anything that goes on the grille. Order the Sangria or Mexican Margarita for a good time. Came here a few weeks ago with bestie Victoria.

So if it looks like I ate nothing but Mexican food on my recent trip to Texas, that's because it's true :-) I did have some barbecue, but I'll save that for another entry.

Tasty treats in NYC

Hey folks, life's gotten in the way of me keeping up with this blog (not an excuse, well... maybe it is) so let's give this another go. In the past three months, I have been to New York twice, Texas once and participated in my favorite pastime, eating. I'll pull out some of my favorites for you folks:

New York:
Joe's Shanghai, recommended by a coworker for their soup dumplings, and man were they amazing! Enjoyed by the fantastic company of my parents and wonderful little Grace; we tried some dishes outside of what they serve in Texas Chinese restaurants, and everyone's pallate was happy! Kudos to the fam for being adventurous. We had soup dumplings (two orders bc that's how fantastic they are), Shanghai-style ribs, and a spicy chicken dish I no longer remember. Though properly warned, we went to the Mid-Town location as it was right next to the hotel! We enjoyed it but for better prices and even better food, you're supposed to go to the Chinatown location.

Oh, and what are soup dumplings? Steamed dumplings with.... well, soup inside of them! YUM!

Eataly - the fam and I met up with bestie Christie and after a great meal, we HAD to grab some dessert on our way out! For those of you who don't know, Mario Batali has created his own super-symposium of Italian eatery. It's compromised of store goods, groceries, pasta restaurant, meat restaurant, fish restaurant, ciacutterie restaurant, vegetable restaurant, oh and about 6 different counters of delicious pastel e gelati to choose from. We grabbed some quick carry-aways on our way out, and my mother and I shared one of the best desserts of all time... salted caramel panna cotta! (I couldn't find a direct picture but it's the dessert on the right cut-off)

Last but certainly not least was Beacon Bar & Grille. Christie, Mama and I came here for a late-night snack and girlie chats. We LOVED their orange-marinated olives, and especially their Bourbon-Pecan Souffle. Pictured here, it was pillowy buttery melt-in-your-mouth amazing goodness.

Just look at how high it rose!!!

Asian Addictions

I did a lot of eating out this past week, so I'm going to select my top two pics for the week: Golden Horse Restaurant & Sushi Rapture. Both are within blocks of  my apartment in Nob Hill and both will not disappoint!

Golden Horse is a common staple for me when I'm craving authentic Chinese Food. This week, I tried the Mongolian Beef Noodles; al dente noodles, sweet & lightly fried, along with good quality beef with a spicy kick at the end. They also have a crab dish with "XO Sauce"- it's a dry sauce with salt and chilis that's quite addictive. Both fantastic dishes. My boyfriend likes all their fried fish; always crispy and large portions.

We checked out Sushi Rapture for the very first time because I was craving udon on a particularly windy San Francisco Day. Their house sake was just okay, but they made up for it with the sushi and udon! I ordered tempura udon and thankfully, the tempura was served on the side (I hate when they put it in the bowl and it gets all soggy). The tempura was the crispiest, crunchiest tempura I've ever had, and the shrimp was definitely fresh. Oh, and the udon! Soy-based broth and thick house-made noodles brought a smile to my face; definitely going back on my next udon craving! The sushi was pretty good, we ordered the dragon & cal rock rolls. Both have unagi but the dragon has shrimp whereas the cal rock has crab.

Let's talk about biscuits

Biscuits. Being from the South, I suppose I could consider myself a connoisseur of the southern's substitute to sour dough bread.

In the South, biscuits tend to punch your palate with butter and honey, and then are served with extra butter and honey on the side (yum!).

This is my second visit to The Elite Cafe (on the historically jazzy Fillmore St.) and I have to say, these are my favorite biscuits, anywhere. They've taken what we love from biscuits and short-bread cookies and made a fantastic hybrid. Served warm, they're delightfully crumbly instead of flaky, and fantastically doughy in the center. Without any added sweetness of honey or sugar,  you notice and appreciate the texture of the biscuit and the hard work grandma spent all those years perfecting the recipe - genius!

They're served with 'strawberry butter' - I think it's a mix of strawberry puree, butter, and a little bit of cream cheese. A really tasty and interesting compliment to these wonderful biscuits. So go get some! If you're walking by and aren't hungry, pick up the dough and bake it yourself later - yes, they are that good.

Elite Cafe does serve other menu items besides biscuits. A Cajun establishment, they are known for their brunch; but they do have quite a few alternatives for the less adventurous eater. They are also known for their deviled eggs and cajun fries. I haven't had one thing I didn't enjoy here, so, go check it out!

Had dinner last night with Meera at Zoetrope in the Financial District (literally next to China Town). It's an Italian cafe open and run by the Coppola family.  Set inside San Francisco's Sentinel building, the place is stuffed with Coppola memorabilia and proud displays of their family's connections to Hollywood.  The setting and the crowd put you right back in the Godfather movies.

Okay, the important part, what I ate. I noticed some waitstaff eating the spaghetti carbonara off to the side, so of course I ordered it. It was fantastic; the picture below was taken right before a waiter put at least a tablespoon of parmesan on top. The parmesan melted into the velvety egg/cream sauce and I was in heaven. Pasta perfectly al dente, the pancetta was a little undercooked but I didn't care. Definitely recommend this dish!

Meera and I also ordered a $13 wine tasting - totally worth it! Got to try a couple of the famous Coppola wines rather than one.

We also had tiramisu which was pretty authentic in consistency but definitely soaked in too much espresso - it was.... meh.

"Sharing is caring." Well, try saying that to my boyfriend with a plate of charcuterie infront of him. We are a couple that loves to eat. Ask anyone we know; we are the mavens for all things related to food. So, follow us as we spend a majority of our money on the thing we most love in this world... each other :-)  oh, yes, and that's right... food.