omelette express

santa rosa, ca

website

since we weren't in any hurry to get to our extended stay hotel in mountain view, we decided to wander around the "historic railroad square" area in santa rosa and get some breakfast. most of the restaurants were closed (it was a sunday morning) and the others were pretty empty. but one restaurant was completely packed, with a line spilling out onto the sidewalk. so of course that's where we went.

the owner or manager of the restaurant was actually outside with all of the waiting customers, entertaining them with some story. he took our name and told us "not to go far." so we joined the other customers hanging out on the sidewalk. about 15 minutes later, a table opened up and we got to order something from their huge menu of omelettes. i can't remember what i ordered, but i do remember that the omelette was the size of a football. the highlights for me were the slice of homemade sourdough bread and the salsa they served on the side. another good find.

syrah bistro

santa rosa, ca

website

derek and i decided to spend the night in napa valley, rather than driving through the night to get to the south bay. i IM'd danielle on my blackberry and she found us a great hotel in the area - the hyatt vineyard creek hotel and spa in santa rosa. perfect location - just off the 101 and within walking distance of the historic railroad square area with shops and restaurants. after 2 days of driving, it was nice just to get out and walk. the concierge at the hotel recommended the syrah bistro, a cute but small restaurant a few blocks away. the restaurant was a little cramped, so when the hostess asked if we wanted to be seated outside, we gladly said yes. but turns out that "outside" is really a hallway between the restaurant and a hair salon.

it was a little odd to be seated next to a display of hair products, but the food and wine made up for it. derek and i shared a terrific bottle of wine, which was from a nearby winery - a 2008 desmond pinot noir. we started with the wild arugula and escarole salad - very good, derek especially liked the crispy shallots and i liked the white anchovy on top. i ordered the pan roasted duck breast, with risotto style farro, oregon chanterelles, and black garlic-sour cherry jus. delicious. definitely a great little spot if you ever find yourself in santa rosa.

jalisco cafe

eureka, ca

link to yelp

after spending the night in oregon, we made it to california on the 2nd day of our epic journey down highway 101. first stop in california - eureka for mexican food and gas. located just across the street from a gas station, we found jalisco cafe. it looked authentic, so we decided to give it a try.

massive menu full of mexican classics. they even had lengua! not being particularly adventurous, i ordered my usual - two beef enchiladas with a side of rice and beans. delicious. red sauce, cheesy beans, fluffy rice. definitely reminded me of the mexican restaurants i used to eat at when i was growing up in eastern washington. who knows if i'll ever make it back to eureka, but this mexican restaurant definitely hit the spot.

mo's chowder

florence, or

website

i do not recommend driving through the oregon hills in the rain at night. derek did a great job of navigating some very treacherous roads, but he was exhausted by the time we reached florence, oregon. we decided to spend the night at the old town inn before continuing our epic journey. the inn is appropriately named because it's just a short walk to the cute waterfront area, called old town. the innkeeper gave us a token for free clam chowder at mo's. on a cold, rainy night in the pacific northwest, clam chowder sounded perfect.

mo's is located at the north end of old town, right across from a homemade ice cream shop (that was unfortunately closed). standard chowder house menu - derek ordered the fish and chips (and a beer) and i ordered the clam strips and chowder. seaside comfort food. clam strips were tasty - not too greasy, just the right clam-to-breading ratio. chowder was solid. it's clear that the seafood was fresh. our table was right next to the window, overlooking the siuslaw river. perfect. mo's even has a little souvenir shop inside, so you can get your shopping and eating done all at once.

clyde common

portland, or

website

this was the first stop on our epic trip down the pacific coast, driving derek's car and 4 suitcases from seattle to our new home in the bay area. derek, the driver, was craving a burger. so i searched for "best burger portland" on my blackberry and found clyde common. it's located in what i think is downtown portland and was very easy to get to from I-5. the restaurant is clearly part of that whole farm-to-table movement and it looked like they brought the tables from the farm too. long wood tables with tiny little chairs lined on each side. the table is shared space, so be warned that you might literally be rubbing elbows with some portlanders. they're nice, though.

derek and i both ordered the burger. i remember really enjoying my side salad. the burger is not as good as the shake shack or any of the other amazing burgers that we loved in nyc, but derek and i are hard to please when it comes to burgers. the menu looked great, so if we ever come back, i'll try some of the other items and probably something off their extensive beer list. also, clyde common is just a short walk away from the famous powell's bookstore, which is a great place to walk off your lunch.

bamboo village restaurant

seattle, wa

website

huge chinese restaurant in the wallingford area in seattle. i've heard that it's popular for dim sum, but we went for dinner last november. (yes, i'm still posting november restaurants, i hope to catch up to the present soon ...) cindy, ryan, the kids, derek, me, derek's parents, all sitting around a big round table with the lazy susan in the middle, piled with food. standard chinese restaurant atmosphere and fare.

except for the honey walnut shrimp, which is fantastic here. in fact, you can even get honey walnut chicken, which i've never seen before. just the right amount of crispiness, a hint of sweetness, crunchy glazed walnuts, not too much mayonnaise, it's done perfectly here. i'm sure the other stuff is good here too, but the honey-walnut anything is my favorite.

maialino

gramercy, nyc

website

once again, derek and i simply walked out of our apartment and wandered around, waiting for inspiration to hit. as we neared gramercy park, i saw maialino, which i had been wanting to try since it first opened in fall 2009. i doubted that we could get a table, but wanted to see how long the wait was. to our surprise, we were seated immediately. score. the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. we sat in the bar area (they only make reservations in the dining room, so that's why we were seated so quickly). but this is no ordinary bar area. huge rustic-style tables for two, spaced far apart. the afternoon sun was streaming in through the huge windows behind the bar. just beautiful, i could have sat there for hours. eating.

it's a homey-but-upscale italian restaurant. (officially, a "roman-style trattoria," whatever that means). the best cup of latte i have ever had in a restaurant. it somehow strikes the ideal balance between strong, rich coffee and sweet, creamy lightness. the moist olive oil muffin - which was both fruity and savory - was a perfect companion to the latte. i highly recommend just stopping by, sitting at the bar, and enjoying a latte with the budino di olio d'oliva. heaven for about $6. pictured is the pasta, sausage, and other brunch dishes, which were also very good. but the muffin and coffee were just out of this world.

mint

midtown, nyc

website

there are a lot of fancy indian restaurants in midtown. white tablecloths. great service. everything served in silver bowls and platters, with silver utensils. mint falls into this category with a slight twist. the interior is lit up with neon green lights which make you feel like you're inside a dance club or other night spot. it's a little disconcerting when you're meeting a friend in the middle of the afternoon for lunch.

but the food is good. i was caught up talking to XYZ and stuffing my face with spicy corn, so i didn't take a picture until i only had a few bites left. thus the photo of giant corn and giant grains of rice. XYZ and i shared the corn salad appetizer and the corn in saag sauce, with a side of excellent naan. very tasty.

union square cafe

union square, nyc

website

one thing that i love (and miss) about new york city is that at nearly any time during the day (or night), you can walk out the door without any idea of where you're going and just keep walking and walking until inspiration hits you. derek and i did just that - we walked out the door of our apartment, with empty stomachs and a vague desire to get a really great new york lunch. we decided to head south, toward union square, where there are more options. somewhere between 19th and 17th street on park avenue, i shouted, "union square cafe!" derek exclaimed, "great idea!" and so that's where we went.

derek and i are huge fans of danny meyer resataurants. his restaurants are known for over-the-top service and exceptional cuisine. union square cafe has a very cozy feel (despite the high prices). it's been a while, so i don't remember what derek ordered, but it was probably the burger. i ordered the butternut squash ravioli with cranberries in a brown butter sauce - delicious. union square cafe is a classic - solid and reliable. a nice restaurant to keep in your back pocket whenever you're not quite sure where to go.

locanda verde

tribeca, nyc

website

see earlier post about how jenny is always plugged into whatever is new and exciting in manhattan. locanda verde is located in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the island, somewhere in tribeca. i took a cab to get to the cross-streets (north moore and greenwich), but was quite lost among the dark warehouses and quiet streets. suddenly, a door opened and i could hear the clanging chatter of a busy restaurant. i followed the noise, walked through the doorway, and politely shoved my way through the crowd of fashionably clad bodies to reach jenny, who was waving one hand in the air (the other hand holding a large glass of red wine).

we didn't have a reservation, but jenny had put our names down for two seats at the bar. fortunately, we were seated within 10 minutes (although two people who got on the list just after us were not seated for almost an hour). we started with bread, their housemade focaccia served warm and slightly crispy. amazing. we had seconds. our appetizer was also delicious. but the highlight of the meal was the ravioli, listed on the menu as "my grandmother's ravioli." i have never had ravioli this good before. the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, but the meat inside just melts in your mouth. sure, it's a little weird for meat to melt, but it's just that good. hands down, the best ravioli i've ever had. it is $17, but it is worth all 1700 pennies. save up. try it. thank me later.

financier

midtown, nyc

website

the original location of this cleverly named patisserie is in the financial district (a financier is both a type of french pastry and someone who handles a lot of money -- get it?), which is located at the southernmost tip of manhattan. this means that lazybones like myself only tasted pastries from this bakery when one of my friends (usually jenny or dorothy) brought some to the office or to a party. on those rare occasions, tarts and pies from financier were a special treat.

something happened, however, when financier opened a branch just a few blocks away from my office. perhaps distance does make the heart grow fonder because i found that the midtown location's pastries are good, but not amazing. the dining area of the bakery is cluttered and dirty. the sandwiches are small and take forever for them to make. we still go every now and then to get some coffee and perhaps satisfy a craving for sweets, but sadly, the allure is gone.

the meatball cart @ mia dona

midtown, nyc

website

i'm not sure how, but jenny is always plugged into what is new and fun in the big apple. jenny suggested that i meet her in midtown to try donatella arpaia's meatball cart located just outside her restaurant, mia dona. autumn in new york can be quite cold, so i was surprised to see a crowd standing outside waiting for meatballs. always a good sign.

jenny requested the sandwich (meatballs between two squares of foccacia + cheese + arugula) for $6 while i went for the cup of meatballs swimming in red sauce for $5. mia dona's waitstaff suggested that we go inside to escape the cold, so jenny and i cozied up to the bar where the bartender graciously poured us some water. (hey, in nyc, these little things make a world of difference). the meatballs, apparently an old family recipe, were terrific. i don't dare to mention the name of that swedish superstore, but let's just say that there is no comparison to the meatballs i usually eat. i'm not sure if the cart is still out there given the below freezing temps, but definitely check it out in the springtime.

ramen mottainai

gardena, ca

website

in LA for work, i dropped off the rental car at LAX a couple of hours before my flight back to JFK. cindy c picked me up for a quick dinner in "nearby" gardena. as i am not accustomed to the land of freeways that is the los angeles metro area, i was a bit concerned about the number of roads that cindy took to get us to our destination. turns out, it was only 15 minutes away from the airport and returning was not a problem.

like all good restaurants in california, this ramen shop is hidden away in the corner of a strip mall. walking in, we were greeted with the traditional shouting in japanese. the atmosphere reminded me of the ramen shops i enjoy in new york. except much more spacious. and no wait! cindy c ordered a plate of spicy veggies to start off with, which were yummy. i ordered the porky ramen (tonkotsu broth) with the addition of buttered corn. love love love the buttered corn. i think everything in life should be topped with buttered corn.

abc kitchen

flatiron, nyc

website

just north of union square is one of jean-georges' newest restaurants, abc kitchen. the atmosphere is earthy and casual, completely different from any of his other restaurants. the quality of the food is impeccable, as always. unfortunately the price is high, as always. pictured are two of the most expensive doughnuts i've ever eaten. it's hard to tell from the picture, but they're TINY. and the pair cost $9. delicious? yes. outrageously priced? yes indeed. i now turn this blog post over to ... derek! he had the burger. i refused to take a picture because otherwise my blog would turn into "derek eats! burgers!"

D: I like to taste the meat in my burgers. Eric Ripert says that when preparing a fish dish, the chef should “elevate the fish” not overpower or compromise it. The same philosophy should apply to burgers. When we heard that ABC Kitchen had a burger featuring a Pat LaFrieda blend, naturally, I had to try it. Unfortunately, the LaFrieda patty was not elevated. It was still a goo-ey, zesty, and soul-comforting blend of cheese, herbed mayo and pickled jalapeños, but it was merely a tasty sandwich, not a burger. A real burger, in my mind, is what they do at Little Owl or City Hall. A fat, juicy patty enhanced with light, complementary additions (yes, bacon and cheddar can be “light”). That said, the sandwich-with-LaFrieda patty was still delicious. After all, Mr. Vongerichten knows his stuff.

friedman's lunch

chelsea, nyc

website

it's been so long since i took this picture of pancakes (auto-dated october 31) that it first took me about 10 minutes of searching through my old emails to determine what city i was in that day and then where i might have eaten pancakes. i need to start carrying around a notebook. or i need to avoid having a backlog of photos waiting to be posted. anyway, now i remember the restaurant - friedman's lunch in chelsea market.

however, i can't remember why derek and i dared to wander through chelsea market on halloween. the market was incredibly crowded -- full of trick-or-treaters and people on stilts. it probably had something to do with getting chocolate-covered cheerios from jacques torres for my niece (who refused to eat regular cheerios after eating a few of the chocolate ones -- oops). derek, amazingly enough, remembers that he ordered the fish basket and that it was delicious. i clearly had pancakes and if i remember correctly, i really enjoyed them. i vaguely remember that it seemed like a great place to recommend to my friends. so - there you go.

osha thai

cow hollow, sf

website

i first visited this restaurant in 2008, before the recession hit. back in the "good ol' days" when the company i worked for could afford to fly everyone who started at the company in 2005 to san francisco for a weekend of food, fun, and lectures. tina was already living in SF back then and she took a bunch of us 05ers to this thai restaurant near her apartment.

amazing pumpkin curry. i still remember the first few bites that i took of this dish. the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor, chunks of perfectly cooked pumpkin, the perfect amount of spice. like someone took thanksgiving and turned it up a couple of notches. comfort curry. you wouldn't expect to find such comforting food in this space-age neon-bright thai restaurant, but there it is. we still order the pumpkin curry all the time, but now we eat it in tina's comfortable apartment instead. even better.

piano due

midtown, nyc

website

when jenny and i first walked into piano due, we saw a large U-shaped bar, crowded with regulars. some glanced up before looking back down at their drinks. most just ignored us. confused, jenny and i walked out and read the sign outside again. turns out, there's an elevator to the right of the bar that takes you up to the restaurant. the dining room is completely quiet, like you've stepped into another world and the cacophony of midtown melts away into the distance. jenny and i glance around, still feeling unsure and out of place. after a few minutes, a waiter finally greets us and shows us to our table.

white tablecloths. curtains on all the windows. smartly dressed waitstaff. huge list of italian wines. huge menu of italian entrees. dean martin singing in the background. i have no idea how old this restaurant is, but it felt like an old-school new york italian restaurant. the friendly waiter graciously recommended a reasonably priced bottle of red wine. service was very attentive. and the food was classic italian done very well. derek and jenny had amazing pasta dishes. i ordered the raviolo d'imola - soft egg yolk raviolo with ricotta and spinach, topped with black truffle butter. it was so rich that i could only finish one of the two, but delicious all the same. this is definitely the spot to go to if you're looking for a real new york restaurant experience.

lure fishbar

soho, nyc

website

as i mentioned last october, derek and i had promised to meet up with hana for a meal in the city. she recommended this great brunch spot, lure fishbar, a nautical-themed restaurant in soho. the restaurant takes advantage of its basement location by decorating the place like the downstairs of a yacht. not that i've ever been downstairs in a yacht, but i've seen some in movies.

it was empty when we went, around 11 am on a sunday. my guess is that the usual crowd was still recovering from the night before. the menu, full of classic comfort food, could definitely cure any hangover. for example, i ordered the biscuits with sausage gravy. soft scrambled eggs on the side. the potatoes were carb overkill, but everything else was delicious. derek had a burger, per usual. if i remember correctly, he enjoyed it, but it was quite a few burgers ago ...

roberta's pizza @ madison square market

madison square park, nyc
(in october)

website

i blogged about madison square market last year, but i have to highlight roberta's pizza, which was new to the market this year. roberta's is in brooklyn, which basically means that derek and i have never tried it. but they have this amazing mobile pizza oven that they bring to madison square park for the month of october to serve fresh, piping hot, delicious, brooklyn-style pizzas to hungry manhattanites.

this pizza was so good that derek and i headed over there whenever we got a chance. it's a surprisingly quick process, you get your personal-sized pizza served to you about 10-15 minutes after you order it. our favorite pizza was topped with pesto, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. perfect crust - chewy and charred. gooey melty toppings. pizza perfection. now that i'm on the west coast, i definitely miss new york style pizza and roberta's was one of my favorites. at least i'll always have this blog post to remember it by.