osteria

palo alto, ca

link to yelp

classic italian-american dishes. basically everything you expect from a family-run italian place. except for the fact that my pasta and clams came in red sauce, which overwhelmed the clam flavor. plus the clams were already shelled, which always makes me suspicious that it might have come out of a can or a jar. derek loved this place because he could order the basics - spaghetti in red sauce and grilled chicken. personally, i didn't find anything special about the food here. sure, it's classic italian. and its better than olive garden and buca di beppo (which is still great fun). but if it's just spaghetti, i prefer to make it myself at home with good ol' rao's red sauce.

eveleigh

los angeles, ca

website

the next morning, cindy c took us to brunch at eveleigh. beautiful outdoor patio with a nice large overhead fan to keep diners cool in the summer. menu includes comfort food breakfast favorites but with a unique twist (my eggs benedict came with soft scrambled eggs and hot smoked ocean trout). add a lengthy and varied list of refreshing brunch cocktails (i had the bitter admiral - gin, Campari, grapefruit juice, poured over ice with a lemon twist). an ideal combination for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend brunch. did i mention the truffled fries? perfection.

liang's kitchen

cupertino, ca

website

lots of great asian food in the south bay. derek managed to find another spot for taiwanese food. derek and i took his parents there for dinner. excellent beef noodle soup - ask for "ma la" if you want it spicy. but my favorite dish were the beef rolls - fried cong you bing (onion pancakes) flattened, filled with beef and cilantro, and formed into a roll. like a light flaky onion-y egg roll. there's other great stuff on the menu - hopefully we'll be back soon to try more.

torchy's tacos

austin, tx

website

forgot to mention, before we picked up y+a+n from the airport, jinny and i got a snack of guacamole and freshly fried chips from torchy's. (perhaps freshly fried is the theme of my austin trip?) the next day, we decided to get takeout from torchy's for the whole gang. torchy's is austin hipster mexican. colorful chalkboard menu? check. ironic hipster decorations? check (a red devil wearing a diaper is their logo). ironic hipster names for their menu items? check.

i ordered a "mr. pink" taco - guajillo seared ahi tuna, cabbage fresca, cilantro, and queso freco - and a "trailer park" taco - fried chicken, green chilies, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheese on a flour tortilla. there's an option to make the "trailer park" taco "trashy" by replacing the lettuce with queso, but i passed. we also ordered, for the gang, a small bowl of queso and more freshly fried chips. tacos were pretty good - fresh, quality ingredients, but the queso was amazing. definitely my favorite part of the meal.

cypress grill

austin, tx

website

y+a+n finally arrived in austin, so we all went out for dinner. after all of the doughnuts, we decided to move onto something with a little more substance. still deep-fried, though, it is texas after all. jinny and kurt are excellent tour guides - we simply select a cuisine and they find us a restaurant with great food and atmosphere. at cypress grill i ordered the fried oysters, served with fries. pretty solid food.

hula hut

austin, tx

website

this place will always hold a special place in my heart because it is where jinny and kurt introduced me to QUESO. sure, i've had chile con queso at chevy's, but that doesn't count at all. in austin, queso is a magical molten concoction - creamy, cheesy, spicy. and its always served with freshly fried crispy tortilla chips. so good. jinny and kurt are queso experts - they know where to find the best queso in austin and hula hut is one of them. so good. did i say that already?

there was other food on the table as well. pictured is the texas-sized roasted chicken pipeline enchilada. no, that's not a typo. they really call it an enchilada. it's coated in "queso blanco" sauce which tasted like gravy. it was pretty good, but very heavy. frankly, at this point i was so full of queso it's a wonder i managed to take a single bite out of this behemoth. thankfully, jinny and kurt took me on a short tour of beautiful lake austin after dinner to walk off the meal. although perhaps it was so i could be ready to consume even more food. just wait till you see the rest of my austin eating tour ...

hong kong flower lounge

millbrae, ca

website

back to millbrae to drop stacey off at the airport. first, however, we stopped for dim sum. hong kong flower lounge was recommended to us by april and lennon - and they know good dim sum. this place gets very crowded very quickly - so its best to arrive shortly after they open - anytime between 10:00 am and 11:00 am is usually safe. otherwise you could end up waiting an hour for a table.

giant multi-level complex with carts, trays, and food stations. we don't bother with the food stations - we prefer the food to come to us. all the usual dim sum favorites are excellent here - shaomai, ham sui gok, congee, deep fried taro dumplings, turnip cakes, tofu skin rolls, and egg tarts. if you're a fan of ma la gou - malaysian yellow cake - be sure to special order it because it rarely shows up on the carts.

millbrae pancake house

millbrae, ca

website

stacey finally came to the bay area for a visit! we picked her and her friend up at the airport and headed directly to millbrae pancake house. okay, maybe not directly - our GPS decided to take us through san bruno first. anyway, we eventually arrived around 11 am and there was already a crowd lined up outside. we grabbed a number and waited about a half hour before our table was ready.

the restaurant is basically a huge diner with a giant menu of breakfast options. the chatty waitstaff refers to everyone as "dear" or "darling." it was very difficult to decide, so i just ordered everything - chili cheese omelette, side of hash browns, side of swedish pancakes, and biscuits and gravy for the table. the omelette was massive and delicious - chili had great spicy flavor. everyone at the table agreed that the swedish pancakes - crepes served with strawberry butter - were amazing. great food, great atmosphere, close to SFO - we'll definitely be back.

yeti

glen ellen, ca

website

instead of visiting wineries, we decided to hike jack london state park just north of sonoma. it was cool to see the remains of jack london's ranch (apparently he was very interested in the science of farming). otherwise it was an ordinary hike in the forest. the map and guideposts, however, were vague and ambiguous -- we accidentally ended up at fern lake about a half mile outside of the state park boundaries. thankfully derek's iphone gps was still working and we managed to find our way back to the car.

we were very hungry after our little expedition and jack london village was just a short drive south of the park. because it was sunday afternoon, yeti was the only restaurant that was open and they were just about to close the kitchen. thankfully, the cooks graciously agreed to serve us. although the restaurant served both nepalese and indian cuisine, we went with our standard indian restaurant order - chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and basmati rice. i'm not the best judge of indian food, especially when i'm starving, but i thought it was delicious - creamy, spicy, yum.

napa valley burger

sausalito, ca

website

because of our work schedules, derek and i were too nervous to book any flights for our first anniversary in case we had to cancel. instead, we decided that if we had time to get out of palo alto, we would just drive up to napa valley and maybe even do some wine tasting. luckily, our work schedules freed up and we had the whole weekend free. on our leisurely drive up to petaluma, we decided to stop by sausalito to look for milk chocolate and macademia nut cookies.

instead of cookies, we found a cute town, beautiful scenery, and a lot of tourists on bikes. derek (surprise, surprise) wanted a burger, so we decided to try the napa valley burger company. derek's burger was pretty good. i really enjoyed my chili - nice and spicy. the cheesy tater tots were good, but cheesy tater tots are always good. next time i want to try hamburgers sausalito - we walked by and there was a line out the door, which is usually a good sign.

cafe tiramisu

san francisco, ca

website

derek and i happened to be working in our respective SF offices one day and we decided to have dinner in the city before heading back to the south bay. belden place is a narrow alley near the office with a line of restaurants and outdoor seating. supposedly it's reminiscent of european outdoor dining -- it reminds me of little italy in new york and post alley in seattle. we walked through the alley, glanced at the menus for each of the restaurants, and decided on italian food at cafe tiramisu.

pictured is my appetizer - black ink risotto with pan seared scallops and lobster bisque. the scallops were perfectly cooked, buttery, and delicious. the risotto and lobster sauce matched the scallops well - with just a slight hint of the sea. my entree, however, was less successful - spaghetti with clams and uni. the uni, unfortunately, was not fresh and tasted a little funky. both a hit and a miss - we'll probably try another belden place restaurant next time.

umami burger

san francisco, ca

website

i've wanted an umami burger ever since giada de laurentiis described it as her hometown favorite on the "best thing i ever ate" (video) two years ago. i love umami flavors. i love burgers. it sounded perfect. except it was located in los angeles. but last year, umami burger opened a san francisco outpost, appropriately located in the cow hollow neighborhood. vibe is extremely casual, the waitstaff seems genuinely enthused about the food they serve, and the menu is one of those menus where i just want to order everything on it.

i chose the famous umami burger - shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp, and housemade umami ketchup. (that's the parmesan crisp sticking out in the picture). if you're a fan of sweet & salty - this is the burger for you. incredibly rich flavor - definitely hits all of the umami notes but the sweetness was almost too much. but i would happily eat this burger again. and again. the truffled beet salad was fantastic (i would put that truffled ricotta on everything). derek ordered the manly burger - beer-cheddar cheese, smoked-salt onion strings, and bacon lardons. excellent. there's a nice beer and wine selection and humphry slocombe ice cream sandwiches for dessert. amazing. if only it wasn't so far away from my apartment - i hope they open a south bay location next!

main street burgers

los gatos, ca

website

derek discovered this spot while he was driving back from some firm retreat in the south bay. he saw the advertisement for "invent your own" ice cream sandwiches and knew that he had to take me here. derek ordered a massive burger with bacon and melted cheddar on an egg bun. the burger was pretty good, but nothing amazing. the egg bun is buttery and rich, which might be good on its own, but it ended up making the greasy burger taste even heavier. i enjoyed the mushroom swiss burger (with truffled mayonnaise), but mostly because of the mushrooms and truffle flavor.

for the ice cream sandwich, you can choose either graham cracker cookies or brownie cookies and fill it with any of their excellent ice creams. i went with graham cracker cookies and rocky road ice cream for a s'mores effect. they have a special machine that hard-freezes the ice cream before its placed between the soft, chewy cookies. makes a perfectly frozen and non-drippy ice cream sandwich. amazing. we went again a few weeks later with derek's parents: ordered burgers, walked through downtown los gatos to burn off the burgers, and came back for ice cream sandwiches. delicious and perfect for a hot summer day.

tortilla jo's

anaheim, ca

website

what does one do after graduating medical school? go to disneyland, of course. we left pasadena and drove down to our anaheim hotel (which took FOREVER, by the way, i don't know how angelenos survive in this metropolis of freeways and gridlock). that evening, we decided to check out downtown disney (an outdoor mall right outside the main gates) to prep for the next day's disneyland adventure (the niece needed a new minnie mouse dress and a snow white lego set).

lots of food options in the mall, but all of them were extremely crowded. i left my cell phone number with tortilla jo's and received a text about a half hour later when a table became available. honestly, i wasn't expecting much for a restaurant that's clearly geared toward tourists, but the food was pretty good. fresh chips, excellent spicy salsa. i can't remember what i ordered - possibly the chile relleno and an enchilada - but i remember being pleasantly surprised with the quality.

bi-rite creamery

san francisco, ca

website

jinny and i drove by the beach at half moon bay but it looked too chilly to get out of the car. instead, we drove up to san francisco for ice cream. probably not the smartest decision, but it made sense at the time. san francisco was freezing and jinny and i were shivering as we waited in the long line outside the bi-rite creamery near delores park. thankfully when we made it to the front of the line, a table had opened up inside and we could eat our ice cream in relative warmth.

bi-rite is famous for its ice cream sundaes and is frequently featured on those various what-to-eat-in-sf shows on the food network and travel channel. jinny and i shared a sam's sundae (chocolate ice cream with bergamot olive oil, maldon sea salt and whipped cream) and a sundae with honey and strawberries (if i remember correctly). both were pretty good, but probably not worth waiting in line for when it's cold and windy in san francisco. i think i'll stick with rick's down here in the south bay, where it's warm.

rick's ice cream

palo alto, ca

website

slowly but surely, derek and i are discovering all of the little hidden gems in the south bay. rick's ice cream is definitely one of them. tucked away in a little strip mall (as everything in california tends to be), there's a little ice cream shop serving incredible small-batch ice cream. my mocha almond fudge tasted of strong coffee, rich chocolate, and had tons of almonds. there's so many other flavors i want to try - salty caramel, sideways (cabernet flavored!), rocky road, computer chip, chocolate brownies, black raspberry crunch ... i'm sure we'll get to them all eventually.

cock-a-doodle cafe

oakland, ca

website

i haven't lived in the bay area for very long so all i know about oakland is what i see on the local news and it usually involves protestors and/or violence. i had to take my exam in oakland so i was stuck there for a few days. turns out, there's this very charming and hipster-ish hood called "old oakland" near downtown. that's where i found cock-a-doodle cafe.

the cafe was nearly empty at 11 am on a wednesday, it was just me and one other person who was clearly studying for the same exam. service was very friendly and it was a perfect spot for breakfast. excellent iced tea, served with giant wedges of lemon. the chicken-apple scramble was amazing - chicken-apple sausage, mushrooms, mozzarella, spinach, grilled onions, and roasted pepper. the biscuit was a little dry, but their homemade blueberry jam covered any and all imperfections. delicious.

indochine

palo alto, ca

website

derek and i like to be able to walk to restaurants. now that we no longer live on university avenue, we have fewer walkable choices. indochine is one of them. it offers thai & vietnamese cuisine. i'm always wary when a restaurant offers more than one cuisine - it usually means that they don't do either well. but we've ordered takeout from here a few times and they make a pretty good pad see ew with tofu.

one night, i was craving pho and we decided to walk over and try indochine in person. the pho was not good. the meat had clearly been cooked (and over-cooked) before it was added to the soup (real pho should have sliced raw beef placed in the soup just as you're about to dig in - the beef cooks in the hot soup). the broth was bland. very disappointing. we'll still get pad see ew here, but we'll trek over to madame tam on university when we want pho.

so gong dong tofu house

palo alto, ca

link to yelp

the volvo ended up requiring overnight repairs so i was stranded. derek left work to pick me up and we decided to grab a meal nearby at so gong dong tofu house. i had been there before when we first moved from new york and i remember having a very disappointing bibimbap.

well, i've either forgotten what good korean food tastes like or so gong dong tofu house just does a better job with their soon du bu (spicy tofu soup). my soup was quite tasty and derek actually enjoyed his kalbi. i need an real korean person to try this place out and let me know if my taste buds are still working.

buck's of woodside

woodside, ca

website

we were hoping to finally try the famous burger at the village pub, which has been highly recommended by rajesh, but unfortunately it was closed on saturday. instead we went to an upscale strip mall nearby and found buck's. from the outside, it looks like a standard diner. from the inside, it looks like ye olde curiosity shop. there's all sorts of strange things hanging on the walls - like a narwhale tusk and a model ship. there's a lot to look at while you wait for your food.

derek ordered a burger, per usual, which was solid. i really enjoyed my club sandwich (although the waitress was baffled when i asked to leave out the avocado). the coleslaw on the side wasn't very good, but skipping the sides allowed me to save room for dessert. the highlight was definitely the dessert - a delicious and massive strawberry shortcake. homemade whipped cream, perfectly sweet strawberries, all sandwiched in a delicious crumbly biscuit. amazing.