sakura teppanyaki and sushi

redwood city, ca

link to yelp

the lovely stacey was in town and we decided to show her a good time in redwood city. ah yes, september 6, 2012. what a night to remember... okay, so the photographic evidence indicates that we ordered beef. i think the beef was pretty good. but all i can remember of the evening was that the fried rice was ridiculously delicious (being cooked in beef fat might have had something to do with it) and that we had to park really far away from the restaurant because redwood city was hoppin'.

fung lum @ SFO

san francisco, ca

link to yelp

chinese buffets are comfort food. when i'm travelling, it's often the only airport food i find appealing. the tofu + veggie stirfry and chow mein at fung lum in the united terminal at SFO are decent. pork buns are not good. egg tarts are bland and useless. i went on a limb this particular trip and tried the wonton soup with shrimp wontons. i won't do that again.

delfina pizzeria

san francisco, ca

website

okay, my last post might have been a little overdramatic. i'll tone it down here. delfina has great pizza. vanita frequently brings her family here, so you know the food is amazing and the restaurant is family friendly. the pictured pizza was the broccoli rabe, which was a bit too bitter for me. but the other pizza we ordered in september 2012 (thank goodness for automatic timestamps) - whatever it was - tasted great.

addendum

yountville, ca

website

if you go to napa valley and stay on the napa side (as opposed to the sonoma side), plan your wine tastings around your fried chicken lunch at addendum. be smart. schedule only one winery before lunch so that you're not too drunk. order your addendum meal online in advance so you can skip the line. scope out the picnic tables so you can swoop in just as someone else is leaving. because addendum has the BEST FRIED CHICKEN I HAVE EVER EATEN. oh yes, i typed it. i know. it's bold. a very risky and controversial statement. it will probably lead to arguments. fights. black eyes. maybe even the end of some friendships. but it's done. and it's the truth. addendum's fried chicken has the perfect crispiness. perfect juiciness. and just enough saltiness to bring out that magical chickeny goodness. eaten outside on a picnic table near the french laundry garden - it's simply perfect. thank you thomas keller. thank you.

cafe sfa @ saks fifth avenue

new york, ny

link to yelp

it's interesting (sad? amazing?) that so many of my restaurant choices are so close to my shopping choices. back when i worked in midtown east, the girls and i used to frequent saks to shop the sales, to look for wedding dresses, or to just take a break from the daily grind. if the grind was particularly rough that day, we would stop at cafe sfa for some cocktails to unwind - with the beautiful bags and shoes serving as our backdrop. on this trip to nyc, i stopped here to reminisce and ordered the mille feuille. thin layers of crepes with a light cream in between. delicate and delicious - went quite nicely with a glass of chilled prosecco. i highly recommend.

del posto

new york, ny

website

this is one of my favorite restaurants in new york city. it's really sad that the only photo i have is of the extra desserts that they gave you. yes, this is just the extra desserts. served at the end of the meal. after you've consumed countless mini baguettes slathered in rich butter (or lardo if you're feeling porky). after you've eaten some delicious appetizer. after you've eaten at least two plates of pasta (trust me, you haven't had pasta until you've had mario batali's pasta - that man knows what he's doing). after you've eaten a few bites of some random meat dish that you ordered because it seemed like the thing to do (don't do it). after you've eaten your actual dessert. then they bring you this crazy contraption with a hidden drawer and even more sweet treats that you can't resist. expensive, yes. but if you think of it as three hours of delicious debauchery, it's worth eating packaged ramen for every meal for the rest of the week. mm, packaged ramen.

10/12: updated with a better picture.

dominique ansel bakery

new york, ny

website

jenny introduced me to this bakery when i visited new york city eons ago, long before dominique ansel invented its infamous cronut. i know. that's how far behind i am on my blogging. which is why i've adopted this new lazy format. type up some random thoughts. throw a big picture up. voila. blogpost done.

emack & bolio's

new york, ny

website

perfect snack when you're shopping in soho on a hot summer day. my favorites are the mud pie (coffee with chocolate chips and oreos) and the grasshopper pie (creme de menthe with chocolate chips and oreos). and they don't skimp on the oreos - lots of big chunks.