Good Eats and Food Deals

London

2012-02-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

I had been talking about coming to London for years, came for a few days with my mom and sister a few years back, but never felt like I got the full experience. This seemed like a good time to take a couple weeks to go while my old college roommate (Raha), my best friend from study abroad in Hong Kong (Abbie), and my old roommate (Steph) and her husband / my best friend (Ryan) still lived here and had extra space in their flats for me.

Timing was perfect as I was able to make it here in time for the snow, Steph's birthday, a sunny day, Abbie's engagement, and some time with Raha before she heads back to the U.S. to visit her family!

I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends!

Southern California

2011-07-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY, LONG BEACH, IRVINE, surrounding areas

Asian:

Shik Do Rak - Korean BBQ served with banh cuon (Vietnamese rice sheets) to wrap the meat inside, instead of lettuce or sesame leaf. http://www.yelp.com/biz/shik-do-rak-garden-grove
Kogi - korean food truck - get the blackjack quesadilla, galbi taco, pacman burger
Fukada - spicy tuna don on brown rice w hot tanuki udon combo
Mas' Islamic Chinese - 3 dough noodle (chow mein), braised tofu omelet, honey walnut shrimp, thin sesame bread w green onions
Shabu Shabu Bar - ribeye
Mitsuwa Food Court - ramen at Santouka - shio ramen or spicy miso ramen w toroniku, special pork upgrade

Desserts:

La Creperie - French bistro w/ great dessert crepes; La Martinique was my favorite!
Yogurtland - http://www.yogurt-land.com/ - this is actually cheaper and much tastier than Pinkberry; I recommend trying the tart flavors with fruit and the mochi
Sprinkles - cupcakes - there is 1 in Dallas, but I liked the daily special Lemon Blueberry
Guppy House - strawberry mango shaved ice
85 degrees bakery - sea salt coffee
Class 302 - mango strawberry shaved snow, green tea and red bean shaved snow
Mochilato - pistachio, coffee, mint choc chip, hazelnut, tiramisu, stawberries n cream mochilato

Fast food:

The Hat - chili cheese fries, pastrami sandwich, cherry coke
In N Out - of course this is all over Cali & can be found in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona now; most people prefer to get double double and fries animal style

To try next time:

Shin sen gumi - Angell's fave ramen in US
Fat burger

NEW YORK CITY - updated 4/2011

2011-04-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

SHOPPING:

Century 21- brand name bargain shopping (kind of like Filene's Basement, but better)
Forever21 - there is one near Times Sq. that is open until 2:30AM
H&M - most popular location at 6th & 34th
Apple Store
FAO Schwartz & FAO Schweetz (candy section)
Toys R Us (toy store) with a Ferris Wheel inside
Hershey store

SIGHTSEEING:

Empire State bldg. (Korea town is a few blocks away if you get hungry)
Statue of Liberty (take ferry out)
Ground Zero (where Twin towers used to be)
Central Park (Shakespeare in the Park depending on the date or go running on the trail within the park), Peggy Guggenheim Museum nearby
Times Square (TRL, Bubba's Shrimp Co., NY cheesecake, gyros off street carts or in little Greek hole-in-the-walls)
Rockefeller Ctr (Kitchoan Minamoto nearby!) & St Patrick's Cathedral
Grand Central Station
MOMA
MET
Southstreet seaport - shops

NIGHTLIFE / ENTERTAINMENT:

Broadway Shows - discount tickets sold day of show at tkts booths - recommend Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked
Blue Man Group
Hotel Gansevoort rooftop bar (can see both Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and skylines)
Warehouse district for bars/clubs (Lotus, Hiro, Buddha Bar, etc.)
Park - good food here, but it also converts into a bar/lounge late at night
Brandy Library - chill lounge good for dates or smaller intimate groups for talking

GOOD EATS:

Nobu57 - Nobu style ceviche, Lobster shiitake salad, Shrimp tempura, Chilean sea bass, Winter's Crush (?) cocktail
Ippudo - Hirato pork buns, Akamaru Modern ramen (order w/ soft-boiled egg)
Kyochun - original Korean Fried Chicken chain from Korea
Bon Chon - revamped Korean Fried Chicken, supposed to be best in NYC
Shanghai Cafe in Chinatown - xiao long bao (chinese soup dumplings) better than Djo's Shanghai
Asian Jewels (aka Ocean Jewels) for dim sum in Flushing
Flushing Mall for Taiwanese food - Ay Chung for thin noodle soup, herbal soup w pork and pork belly w rice, chicken nuggets, walk around street for Spicy Lamb skewer on street $1 each
Upper Crust bakery - toasted sandwiches w/ fresh French bread
Toasty's - sandwiches
Cafeteria - semi-trendy restaurant featured in Sex & the City
Gyros on street
Kunjip for authentic Korean

DESSERTS / SWEET SNACKS:

Lady Ms Confection - mille crepe cake is THE BEST, Maroons cake, green tea cake
Spot in St. Marks - Soft cheesecake, Jackfruit dessert, Pineapple tiramisu
Saint Alps Teahouse for bubble tea - I used to go to this chain in Hong Kong - great almond milk tea, gingerbread tea, Ginger black, jasmine green, ruby grapefruit w coconut jelly
Minamoto Kitchoan (Japanese pastries) - REALLY good mochi and red bean cakes - 608 5th Ave, between 48th St & 49th St - near Lacoste store around Rockefeller Center
Tai Pan Bakery- HK style coffee and yummy egg custard (much more authentic than Egg Custard King)
Eileen's Cheesecake - http://eileenscheesecake.com/gallery2.htm - mini cheesecakes, blueberry is my fave - 17 Cleveland Place, New York, NY 10012
Baked by Melissa - mini cupcakes, all flavors are pretty good
Ceci Cela Patisserie - French bakery
Pink Berry (yogurt) - http://www.pinkberry.com/ - 13 locations listed on website (one is next to rices to riches)
Beard Papa - cream puffs and pastries
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory - green tea, red bean, ginger, lychee flavors and more
Rice to Riches (rice pudding, not for everyone) - walkable from Chinatown - 37 Spring Street, between Mott and Mulberry St

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Hilton Hotel Fashion District (26th between 6th and 7th Ave) - great location

WILL TRY NEXT TIME:

Pings dim sum in Chinatown
Amy Ruth's chicken and waffles in Harlem
Rairaiken ramen
Xiao's Famous foods in Flushing Mall

What the PHO?!

2010-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

The MAIN KEY THINGS to look for when it comes to PHO:
- It's ALL in the broth! The broth should be clear, not opaque and bits of meat should not be present initially when served to you. If you get the "tai" meat (uncooked until the boiled water hits it), obviously your broth will later have pieces of meat and become more opaque.
- ratio of meat to noodle should not be chinsy (Pho Binh in Houston is the freaking best in Texas. As a result, they can get away with little meat, because their broth takes them to a home run anyway.)

TIPS from a purest who used to eat pho 1-3 times a week and once went a month eating frozen homemade pho in college:
- If you want to REALLY test the quality of pho, you should try putting your sriracha in one of the little dishes (may have to request, otherwise should be with the big spoons on the table). If you HAVE to have it spicy, try adding jalapenos into your broth. The sriracha has many other ingredients that makes it difficult for most people to separate the flavor from the actual intended broth, whereas the flavor of jalapenos can easily be separated.
- When you become more advanced, you can add basil, the long jagged leaf (don't know english name), squeeze some lime juice, and ask for a side of thinly sliced onions (preferably red onion) in vinegar. You will take these red onions and eat a little with every bite.
- Proper Pho etiquette is to CONSTANTLY drink the broth throughout the eating experience. It makes me very sad when I see Americans with a big ass bowl of broth untouched b/c they were silly and decided to drink sriracha and then spend the majority of their meal blowing their nose instead of truly enjoying the pho broth.

Short film by Christina Tran: http://www.uarts.edu/a...

Let me know if you have any questions. Clearly Pho is something I hold very close to my heart. When people tell me they have never had it, I'm pretty sure my heart skips a beat. I almost had to break up with someone once when they told me they did not like pho.

San Francisco Recommendations

2010-10-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Delicious Meals

Fifth Floor in Hotel Palomar - 1 Michelin star restaurant - best tasting menu I’ve ever had! amazing service, must go back to request drinks at the bar (they will make a drink with your liquor of choice)
Ike's Place - amazing sandwiches - $12 for menage a trois sandwich on dutch crunch bread
San Tung - dry fried chicken wings #1, handmade pork dumplings
Katana-Ya - katsudon + ramen combo w/ green tea was $14 - known for best ramen in town
Crepe o Chocolat - brandy chicken sandwich served on a toasted narrow baguette = DELICIOUS
Burma SuperStar or B Star Cafe - tea leaf salad was featured on food network
Roli Roti at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market - porchetta sandwich is soooo good

Desserts & Drinks

Bi-Rite Creamery - tried the salted caramel, strawberry balsamic, coffee toffee, roasted banana, vanilla ice creams ($3.25 for small w/ 2 flavors)
Ciao Bella Gelato (at Ferry Bldg Farmer's Market) - bourbon butter pecan, maple ginger snaps
Genki crepes - crepe w/ nutella, lychee ice cream, strawberries
Minamoto Kitchoan
Beard Papa - chocolate cream puffs
Golden Gate Bakery for egg tarts
King’s Bakery - coconut buns recommended by Angell (50 cents each) - only worth it if you really like coconut buns, otherwise it's out of the way and kind of out of place (Chinese bakery in the middle of Latino area)
Blue Bottle Coffee - first single drip coffee in SF
21st Amendment - watermelon beer

Other tips/useful information:

$8.10 BART ticket from SFO to Downtown
$20 for 3 day pass on Muni (bus, cable cars, some underground lines w/ red Muni logo)
Good bathrooms near Union Square - Border's (top floor), Macy's (bottom floor food court)
Union Square/Market St. - huge H&M on Powell (3 in Union Square area) & DSW
Touristy (not recommended for a good meal, perse) - Boudin Cafe for clam chowder in bread bowl

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Other recommendations I have not yet confirmed, but will have to try next time:

Food & Desserts

Thanh Long - roasted crab and garlic noodles
Pizzeria Delfina
R & G Lounge
Benkyodo in Japantown for mochi
Miette - old fashioned chocolate cake w/ marshmellow (have one in cupcake form)
Sweetheart for bubble tea
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sophies-crepes-san-francisco

Sights

Visit Fort Point - BEAUTIFUL right under the Golden Gate bridge
Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park
Alcatraz – the audio tour is really cool, take ferry

Nightlife

Fly Bar @Divisadero and like Fulton - Alyson’s friends own it, has very cool sake drinks - http://www.yelp.com/biz/fly-bar-san-francisco
Amnesia Bar (Valencia)

Vancouver, BC, Canada

2010-06-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Shanghai River (Richmond, BC) - xiao long bao (best soup dumplings I've had outside of Asia so far), shanghai noodles w/ beef (good), green onion pancake (OK) - 22 CAD for 4 people
Guu w/ Garlic - Japanese izakaya - make reservations ahead of time! This was my second visit, but it is always packed! Everything I had is delicious, you cannot go wrong! The bill was 34 CAD for 4 people will puffy bellies at the end. For more information or the menu, go here: http://www.guu-izakaya.com/robson.html
Dragon Ball Tea House - lychee black tea w/ pearls
Kirin Restaurant - fancy dim sum - 70 CAD for 6 adults
La Casa Gelato - 218 flavors served at all times w/ homemade waffle cones - http://lacasagelato.com/
To try next time: sushi town, honey's doughnuts, dim sum at happy valley

Seattle

2010-04-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Palace Kitchen - roast pork and chard ravioli, lamb meatballs
Dahlia Bakery - eclair, brioche monkey bread w/ caramel sauce, cinnamon sugar beignets (served w/ mascarpone and fresh preserves to dip), fried egg sandwich w/ bacon, cheddar, and arugula, chocolate truffle cookie
Noodle King - beef noodle soup (ask to make it spicy)
Ambrosia - $2.25 for a massive black tea w/ tapioca
Uwajimaya - Japanese grocery store w/ Puccha candy
Mon Hei Bakery - pineapple custard cakes
Beard Papa - creme puffs
O'Asian - fancy dim sum
Dilletante Mocha Cafe
Fare Start "is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals." I tried the main entrée: Linguini with Roasted Tomato, house made “Thundering Hooves” beef ragu, green garlic, pecorino
Gordon Biersch - Cajun Pasta: Andouille sausage, grilled chicken, shrimp, and Louisiana spices with fettuccine in a tomato cream sauce and a strawberry lemonade made w/ puree

Las Vegas

2010-04-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hash House A Go Go - sage chicken eggs benedict (was on man vs. food and it will change your life) & chicken and waffles (made with bacon inside the waffles)

Jean Philippe Patisserie (in Aria) - try the Imperial (creme brulee and mousse enshelled in chocolate)

Houston Asian Food

2010-02-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

Pho Binh (my fave pho place)
Tan Tan Restaurant (Ranchester Blvd. & Bellaire) - seafood hot pot, crispy egg noodles
Cafe 101 - best bubble tea in Houston IMO, chicken nuggets, lychee martini
Tay Do - jellyfish salad
Com Tam Kieu Giang in HK4 - broken rice w/ gal bi
Kim Son (fountain lake location) - dim sum or Vietnamese dinner
Thai Spice
Mai's Restaurant - ca kho to (salty catfish w/rice), bo luc lac
Hot Pot City - all kinds of hot pot

Dallas Eats

2010-02-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

Victor Tangos - chicken & waffles, pork belly w/ soft boiled egg, buffalo carpaccio, butternut squash ravioli, passion fruit gimlet
Chic from Barcelona - roasted chicken, white truffle oil carpaccio, rice, ratatouille, paella
La Duni Latin Kitchen - you MUST go for desserts and coffee, not a big fan of the other foods - Cuatros Leches cake (yes, FOUR milks!), venezulan rum cake, cuban espresso
Pinkberry - pomegranate and original tart swirl w/ fruity pebbles, mini yogurt chips, dark chocolate crisps, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and mochi
Yogurtland - my favorite self-serve froyo from CA - the only one in Texas is in Carrollton but worth the drive - http://www.yelp.com/biz/yogurtland-carrollton
Fat Straws - iced blueberry cheesecake tea w/ half and half, honey, tapioca pearls OR iced passionfruit jasmine w/ lychee jelly and mango stars
Bistro B - Vietnamese - chicken w/ tomato rice, broken rice dish w/ korean BBQ, egg rolls
La Me Little Market - $2 Vietnamese sandwiches (pate thit) and spicy beef noodle soup
Korean BBQ in K-town (lots of good ones, look on yelp)
Sushiyama - fresh sushi at pretty good prices according to ZY (I haven't been in a while but I used to go for $1 sushi nights and it was very fresh)
Huong Ly - Vietnamese 7 courses of beef
Asian Mint - Thai - green tea ice cream cake
Grimaldi's pizza from NYC
Breadwinners - green chile mac & cheese, beef tenderloin salad
Grand Lux Cafe - Sunday Night pasta, strawberry lemonade

Free Birthday Adventure

2008-08-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

The locations I called no longer offer these for free on your birthday:

Einsteins Bros - no free meal
Hooters - no free t-shirt
Krispy Kreme - a dozen free donuts on your birthday - only valid if your birthday is the anniversary day 7/13
Z Tejas - no $15 off coupon - just dessert now

Abuelo's $5 off
Auntie Anne's free pretzel
Buca di Beppo - free appetizer w/ entree purchase
Dave & Busters - $10 free game in play
Joes Crabshack - free calamari appetizer w entree
Keva - free 24 oz juice
La Madeleine - free cup of soup or caesar salad
Red Robin - $3 off purchase
Spaghetti Warehouse - free appetizer w/ entree purchase

Free Birthday Offers

After signing up:

Baskin Robins - free 2.5 oz scoop and $3 off coupon for ice cream cake (min $15 purchase)
Cold Stone Creamery - free Love it sized Signature Creation - I got Birthday Cake Remix.
Dave & Busters - $10 free game in play
Keva - free 24 oz juice - Hawaiian
La Madeleine - free birthday pastry - fruit tarte $5
Red Robin - free Gourmet Burger - I got the Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger ($10 value)
Spaghetti Warehouse (4th street) - free spaghetti & spumoni dessert (cherry, pistachio, chocolate ice cream sundae) - $15

Without signing up:

Trudy's - free martini (mexican martini is usually the best value)
Toy Joy - pick a toy from Treasure Chest
Terra Toys - pick a toy from Treasure Chest

Birthday discounts (after signing up):

Abuelo's $5 off
Arden B - 20% off
Buca di Beppo - free dessert w/ entree purchase
DSW - $10 off $10 minimum purchase
Fresh Choice - 25% off for two people
Joe's Crabshack - free appetizer w entree
La Rouge - 10% off everything and $20 off purchase of $40 or more
Macaroni Grill - free calamari appetizer w 2 entrees
Souper Salad 20% off
Wingstop - free 10 wings w/ purchase of soft drink

Restaurants I tried during my birthday week:

Roaring Fork
Zoot

Boston, Chicago, DC, Long Beach

2008-07-21T16:47:00.001-07:00

BOSTON

Tascas (tapas & sangria), Tapeo was recommended by multiple people
All American Lobster dinner @ Legal's Seafood
Devlin's
Paramount (I recommend the crab cake BLT and clam chowder)
Boston Tea Stop (Harvard Square) - really good and unique flavors of mochi - japanese ice cream in thin, flavored dough and bubble tea was OK
Italian in the North End - Strega Ristorante was AMAZING; Bova's 24 hour pastry shop has TO DIE FOR Eclairs and many other yummy treats
Parish Cafe - samples from other well-known restaurants in the area - all the sandwiches I tried (mine and my friends' ) were tasty
Flour Bakery & Cafe to get Joanne Chang's "sticky buns" featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay
Brown Sugar - REALLY good Thai cuisine (I was VERY surprised considering the non-traditional name)
Faneuil Hall (Ned Devine's - my first time having Magner's cider, Red Sky)
Green Briar (I was pleasantly surprised to find an Irish pub with 95% Irish people in it - binge drinking on a Monday night, of course)
Joshua Tree bar for Stump Trivia night
coffee at Dunkin Donuts
Tealuxe had good Chai iced tea
shopping on Newbury Street, Copley & Prudential Mall, Thom Brown shoes
best shopping at H&M, Filene's Basement (I went to DC after and both of these were much better in DC)
walked around the Boston Public Garden/Boston Common, and Boylston St.
walked the Freedom Trail and had slushies
cute boutiques in Harvard Square

CHICAGO

The Bean
Portillo's chicago dog
Giordano's deep dish
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company's pizza pot pie
shopping street
Garrett's popcorn
walking near river
hotel with view for drinks (view of harbor)

WASHINGTON, DC

Tourist

Smithsonians (13? FREE museums)
International Spy Museum - SO BADASS
National Monument
Vietnam & Korean War Memorials
African American & Civil War Museum
The Capital (tours)
Union Station - metro station with shopping inside (kind of like Grand Central Station in NYC)

Shopping

H&M & Filene's Basement (metro center)
shopping in Georgetown (metro to Foggy Bottom, then 15 minute walk)

Lip smackin' good food

Ben's Chili Bowl - Bill Cosby's fav place - I like the JUMBO ALL BEEF chili dog!
Busboys and Poets - historical activist gathering place - tasty meatloaf!
Granville Moore's - mussels featured on Throwdown w/ Bobby Flay
Eastern Market - blueberry pancakes are supposed to be really good here on the weekends for brunch - I haven't ever been able to make it down there on the right day