korilla bbq

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los angeles has the famous kogi truck, which started the whole korean taco movement. what is it with so many food movements these days? anyway, i've never been able to try the kogi truck, but nyc finally got its own version with the korilla bbq truck. every day, people vote on its website to determine the next day's lunch location. midtown east won a few weeks ago. once again, jenny and i found ourselves waiting in a very long line with a lot of other asians.

the korilla truck was relatively new when we went, so it was still working out some of the kinks. there was an overwhelming amount of options - type of meat, type of veggies, type of sauce, type of kimchi, cheese or no cheese, even salsa? i enjoyed the cucumber kimchi - it reminded me of the spicy cucumbers my mom used to make. but frankly, the korean tacos were just alright. kimchi + bulgogi is always going to taste good, but i didn't find anything interesting about adding it to a taco. the corn tortillas were dry and overpowered the rest of the taco. it's a novel idea, but the execution needs some work.

calafia cafe

palo alto, ca

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one thing i'm looking forward to in california is eating more healthy, more tofu, more fresh fruits and vegetables. i've heard bits and pieces about the "slow food" movement, "farm to table" and "ethical eating." i don't think its possible to know exactly where your food came from or whether it was treated ethically in the process of getting to your plate, but it's nice to know that people are making an effort. the most important question, however, is does it taste good? for example, i highly doubt my favorite chinese noodle shops know what "slow food" is, but i don't care because their food is delicious. noodle on that.

in that spirit, vanita and puri took derek and myself to calafia at town and country. they have a nice selection of freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. vanita (being the more adventurous one) got the "green-eyed lady" with zucchini broccoli arugula celery and garlic. derek and i (being wimps) each got a "c boost" with orange grapefruit and kiwi. for our entrees, both vanita and i got the tofu scramble (pictured) - a surprisingly tasty mix of turmeric & cumin scented tofu, mushroom, spinach and carrots served with hash browns. of course, derek's dish looked yummier (hashbrowns topped with sautéed mushrooms and spinach with two poached eggs, melted swiss cheese and lemon hollandaise), but i felt good eating something healthy (for a change).

oaxacan foods @ palo alto farmer's market

palo alto, ca

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while visiting the bay area, derek and i stumbled onto the palo alto farmer's market on california avenue. there's an impressive array of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. california's produce puts new york produce to shame. in addition to the farmers, there are vendors selling various goods like fresh-baked bread, honey, homemade granola, and even kale chips. with tons of free samples of everything, a person can eat an entire meal just walking through the market.

as long at that person is not derek. after snacking on various fruit slices and candied nuts, he was still hungry. he decided to get a "memela" from the oaxacan foods booth. their website explains that memelas "are best described as toasted Oaxacan pizzas - very healthy, the corn masa is flattened with a tortilla press then placed over a hot comal or griddle." its then topped with steak, tomatoes, black beans, queso fresco, cabbage, avocados, and a spicy red sauce. good quality fresh ingredients combine to make a tasty snack appropriate for a farmer's market.

umami

san francisco, ca

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i realize that my blog posts have been few and far between. derek and i recently decided to relocate to the bay area. we're not completely settled yet, but hopefully i'll be able to pick up the blogging, especially since moving means a lot of eating out. several weeks ago, derek and i flew to the bay area to check out housing options and meet up with some friends. tina and patrick took us to a fantastic japanese restaurant which made me feel much better about leaving my favorite manhattan restaurants behind.

we started with an excellent bottle of sake from their easy-to-understand sake menu. then we ordered several small plates of food to share. pictured are tina's favorite - the delicious kobe burgers served on mantao buns. i loved the perfectly crispy rock shrimp tempura - an improved version of the typical honey walnut shrimp you can get at chinese restaurants. the highlight of my meal, however, was the amazing uni. y&a recently introduced me to this stuff and umami's uni was some of the best that i've ever had. remarkably fresh with a hint of sweetness. amazing.

the butler & the chef bistro

san francisco, ca

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april & lennon brought us to a cute little brunch spot on south park street. just to be clear, south park is not really a park, it's an elongated oval with some grass on it which serves mostly as parking for the shops and restaurants nearby. derek & i had a late start because we slept in and had to drive up from palo alto, but that meant that the butler and the chef had plenty of room for walk-ins. having never been to a french bistro, i have no idea re: authenticity, but there was a lot of french on the menu including quiches and croque whatnots.

derek ordered a baguette sandwich which sounds good in theory, but he ended up being overwhelmed with bread. i ordered smoked salmon eggs benedict (with sauce on the side, per usual). in my dish, the crunchy slice of baguette went perfectly with the runny egg yolk and salmon. no additional sauce needed. another plus - they serve excellent lattes in small bowls - on a chilly SF afternoon, there's nothing better than sipping from a giant bowl of steamy frothy coffee.