I just remembered I used to do a food blog. And I had plans on expanding it into a Travel/Recipes review blog too. Wow has time flown and gone. I am in veterinary school now so my writing time is limited. I have to pretty much study all the time. But I wanted to remind myself that this is here for me to get back into. Don’t give up, there’s so much more food to try.
Hammerhead’s- Louisville, KY
Ok, I know.. I am long overdue; 2 vacations, about a dozen+ new restaurants, and about a billion taste buds stimulated since I’ve written. I’m bad. But before I get into reminiscing about my San Diego vacation (earlier this year), I thought I’d write about this, since it was fresh in my mind (and fresh from the grill to my plate, haha, wink wink). Hammerhead’s.. it’s kind of like a bad trip turning out well, but not as emotional/terrifying. The drive over from downtown Louisville to here makes you almost want to reconsider going further into the shady neighborhood (quote from a couple other first timers: “are we going the right way?”). Now how did we stumble upon something like this, so far from downtown? The inspiration came from a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives blog where viewers recommend places for Guy Fieri to go; mom found it, thought Triple D actually went there, but then Food Network had no record of it on the show, hmm, we further become questionable. But imagine a couple umbrellas, tables, and chairs in front of a garden level apartment; looks like someone trying to throw a small get together with friends. Now imagine those ‘friends’ being you. With no indication of even being a restaurant (no sign, just a life-size plastic hammerhead shark model), it looks like your grandpa’s front lawn, and smells of just the meal you are looking forward to tonight. It doesn’t look like much on the inside (tiny like a dive bar and loud), but when you look at the menu, your soul melts into it. With stuff like chicken and sweet potato waffles, pork belly sliders, shrimp and grits, elk burgers, and duck fat fries, you can’t go wrong.
For appetizer, to share, we got a basket of the Grippo Fries, sweet, tangy and spicy, dry seasoned, deep-fried potato sticks, DELICIOUS. Crispy on the outside and thick and tender inside. The main course was really the thing to sneeze at though (as it came out on a mini butcher block, right as it is finished cooking). My venison burger with bleu cheese and jalapeno aioli was unbelievably melt-in-your-mouth. With a large slice of fresh garden tomato, the bite from the spring lettuce mix, and a hearty pretzel bun to keep it all in, they do not skimp on ingredients nor the quality. I’ve had big game burgers before, like elk and buffalo, but I have never had a burger quite like this. The meat was just slightly salty for my liking, but it was balanced by the bitter arugula and sweet tomato. I really want to emphasize the caliber of the meat; cooked perfectly through, but not at all dry, it tasted fresh from the bone but was not gamey, and was moist inside with a perfect char on the outside. Most fantastic experience of game meat I’ve ever tasted.
My family also had the pork tacos with pico de gallo and the elk burger with brie cheese and sun-dried tomato aioli. I tasted a little of both and they were very delicious; the elk burger again, had the same high standard as my venison (plus was the perfect amount of salt). If you don’t have the desire for spicy foods at all then the elk would be better for you. And hey if not that, have their famous chicken and waffles. These have a rule right on the menu to please only order ONE per table. Apparently they go fast and are so fresh that they run out of ingredients to make them all night, so go early if you want to guarantee you get an order (they open at 5pm)! Only about 5 hours from home, I will return on my next road trip down this way!
Cabin Coffee Cafe- Glendale, AZ
This one goes out to all my family in Arizona, thank you for the fantastic New Years and reunion and hope to see you all soon! This little cove here, I feel, embraces you like the warmth of being with the family during the holiday season. Maybe because it was around that time that I went there, maybe because it’s in the middle of a sunny desert (AZ population rising steadily though!), but maybe it’s because that’s just what it is, a cozy cabin coffee house. It doesn’t have that haughtiness of a modern coffee shop, nor the pictures of abstract whos-a-whats-its on the wall, it has yellow lights, comfy chairs, rustic decor, helpful staff, and yummy local coffee. With a motto like “Enter as strangers, leave as friends” mounted on top of their lovely fireplace, how can this not feel like a home?
The decor is one thing to smile at, the drinks are another to drool over. Flavor combos like the Lumberjack and Black Forest (as well as penguins, bears, and any alpine outdoors inspired combinations) were unique and delicious. The staff even makes it a point to ask you what kind of milk you want when you order! During my visit to AZ, we came here at least 3x, I got the Lumberjack latte twice. If I remember correctly this was a combination of coconut and hazelnut syrups. I have only seen coconut once before on the menu of a coffee shop, and that’s from my favorite shop- Ipsento. I needed to try this coconut delight, and I was not disappointed here. The espresso in the latte was smooth, the nutty, exotic syrups were able to shine through individually, and the frothy milk was satisfying till the end. My one ‘issue’ if not the slightest, was consistency, I guess consistency between sips, and between drinks. Sometimes it was coffee heavy (which isn’t bad), sometimes it was flavor/sugar heavy (not too bad), but if you’re ordering a latte and are expecting something specific, this may not get 5/5 stars. But really, this just comes with repetition and is easily fixable. If coffee isn’t for you, my cousins raved about the delicious hot chocolate there, as well as a variety of sweet/tangy/refreshing fruit smoothies!
In all, lovely place, nice people, very tasty drinks, and unique variety, I can’t wait to be able to come here again. Thanks Cabin Coffee 🙂
*Homeroom Mac + Cheese- Oakland, CA
(*- Favorites get stars) Yes, I’ve been putting this off for far too long.. Especially because it considers one of my most favorite foods: Macaroni and cheese. When I say I love mac and cheese, it’s not like how I love coffee, where I’m picky and a sucker for fancy, independent coffee shops (Dunkin Donuts Dark Roast has to suffice for my way to work, unfortunately); I love the cheesy pasta in almost any form, even down to the Kraft blue box. This restaurant, based in Oakland, California, steps it up a huge notch in the concept of buttery cheese on tender al dente noodles. Tucked among other little treasures near downtown, Homeroom has a very cozy feel (if maybe even a little cramped). Quoted by my boyfriend’s cousin, “If you go here [Homeroom, Burma Superstar, and Blue Bottle] you’ve hit the main ‘hipster spots’ of Oakland”. The restaurant has a floor-to-floor blackboard with a chalk drawing of California with cartoony illustrations of food, animals, palm trees, cowboys, San Fran, LA, and San Diego landmarks, and more. The menus are a whimsical bright yellow with their signature paper airplane in flight around the page. The breakdown of the menu is: Signature mac and cheeses w/ “add to any mac: ingredients”, Veggie sides and salads, Sweets, and Drinks. I was thinking of making my own with all my favorite ingredients, but I was dying to try one of their specialties (they even offer a vegan mac and cheese), so I went with the Jalapeno Popper (pictured 2nd), and oh man, was I NOT disappointed! I could even drool as I’m writing this now (I could also cry because who knows when I’ll have it again).
Now let me explain the delicious Popper mac, standard it included sharp cheddar and cream cheese with hot peppers, topped with crunchy panko breadcrumbs. But because I like to add things to any mac and cheese I make (and try to get a little bit of veggie in it), I had to try it with cherry tomatoes and spinach. Party in my tummy, so yummy, like Yo Gabba Gabba. Just think of how delicious hot wings are with ranch or blue cheese, or spicy tacos with sour cream (tacos: also one of my favorites); spicy and creamy dairy just go together; they ‘marry’. The macaroni was a perfect al dente tender, not under nor overcooked, the cheese was zingy and flavorful, the pepper gave a great little bite, the dispersed spinach and tomato added texture and freshness, while the ending crunch of baked panko was like a food crescendo lulling into a satisfying cadenza. I wanted to gorge all of it right then and there, but the portion was actually a decent size enough for me to take it home for seconds (thank the lord!). And because I went with other people, I was able to try the Mexican Mac (with chorizo, chipotle peppers, jack cheese, and cilantro) which was a different but very delicious take of mac and cheese, creamy and hot, again! We also ordered sides, and for a mac and cheese specialty place, they were very tasty as well! Everything was so fresh and perfectly spiced and cooked; despite not liking cauliflower at all, their Spicy roasted cauliflower was incredible! Idk what’s in it.. I just really liked it. And as always, roasted brussel sprouts can’t go wrong, they were toasted and just the right amount of charred. Needless to say, I was stuffed with such deliciousness that night.
The owners of Homeroom even made a cookbook which I am still looking to purchase for myself after such a satisfying meal! I would love to recreate their beautiful food compositions at home. Overall, by George, one of my favorite American food restaurants I’ve been to! I am most likely biased though because it is mac and cheese..
[UPDATE 2/24: A very thoughtful man got me the cookbook for Valentine’s day, and we made the truffle mac this past weekend. It was delicious. He is wonderful.]
Burma Superstar- Oakland, CA
[Warning: this post and the following California posts will be very long overdue. That trip was back in December, just FYI] The first thing I thought of hearing “superstar” was the awkward Molly Shannon sniffin’ her pit hands. haha. Let me tell you, this restaurant is quite contrary to this late 90’s movie, because it’s a rather hip, cozy, and sophisticated looking place. Calling in 45minutes in advanced for a to-go order for 4 people at around 7pm STILL resulted in a very long wait, honestly I felt kind of bad for the servers. Anyways, their website had such an interesting menu, filled with delicious ingredients and cool items like “Bun Tay Kauswer” and “Nan Gyi Dok”. Upon finally learning where Burma is located on the map, it’s no wonder they have very similar cuisine as Thailand (one of my all time favorite types of food), and thus was a very yummy, satisfying meal for me. Even though many of the same ingredients are used, like basil, coconut milk, and curry, the dishes were unlike any Thai food I have previously tried.
Our shared appetizers were the veggie samusas and chicken samusas. These are very similar to the Middle Eastern or Indian samOsas, almost identical I guess, with the flaky, crunchy, golden-browned wrap surrounding a flavorful and spicy potato/veggie/chicken filling. The combination of the spices used was very unique to me, even though the presentation was so familiar. The inside was like finely chopped potato salad (texture-wise, not flavor-wise), wonderfully exotic with a generous filling:wrapping ratio; deep-fried to the crispy brown we all love.
To me, my noodle dish was the Superstar (picture shown as my own plating cuz it was takeout, took out my camera too late to get the dish as a whole). It was tangy, but creamy, crunchy and smooth, colorful AND aromatic. My “Nan Gyi Dok” was created with rice noodles and a coconut curry base. It had the nuttiness and sweetness of peanut butter and the tang of a tropical fruit somehow. It was topped with fresh lime leaves (and yummy lime slices!), fried onion, sliced hard-boiled egg, friend wonton, and split peas, all beautifully arranged one right after the other in a little circle (Damnit, now I wish I had a picture). The point is to be able to mix as many or little of the ingredients as you want, depending on your tastes, and my tastes were it was ALL or nothing to get the full effect. And it was very delightful for my taste buds! (Sorry, it’s getting late guys, I just have to wrap it up ;))
‘Off the Grid’ [event]- Oakland, CA
Surprise!– Not only is this entry about food, but about a great experience with lots of other food lovers. Off the Grid happens in locations everyday all around the Bay Area. This event has numerous foodtrucks for all your varying tastes of the night! This past Friday evening there was Filipino fusion, Middle Eastern, Korean, frozen custard, donuts, soul food, burgers, and more; sweet, spicy, crunchy, tangy, savory, creamy. The trucks were neatly lined up in a delicious smelling aisle, with little bites, drinks, and full meals available. To one side of the road, opposite of the trucks, were blue, green, red, and pink mood spotlights with tents and chairs in circled groups. To get this show on the road, I ordered from 3 different food trucks, to get a taste of a whole lotta things, cuz my palette just wouldn’t make up its mind.
-My first stop was the Señor Sisig truck. For my Filipinos out there, Sisig is generally known as a sour, salty, spicy marinaded pork dish. Super delicious (especially at J&A Oriental Food Mart in Chicago)! Anyways, this food truck specializes in this meat dish but with a twist. Sure it offers it the standard way with a side of rice (“don’t forget to Silog it!”- add a fried egg), but it also comes as a taco, burrito, ‘California’ burrito, salad, with pork, chicken, or tofu, etc. Of course, anyone who knows me knows of my love for tacos, so I gave it a try! The tacos came with the sisig meat, lettuce/cabbage, onions, and homemade cilantro cream sauce, with a slice of lime, and fresh jalapeños according to your hotness selection. I apparently over-estimated my tolerance for spiciness because my taco was just so hot; the meat was juicy and flavorful, yum yum!– but as soon as I got my tongue on the jalapeños, my mouth instantly numbed to the rest of the flavors (even with the cream sauce). I wanted so bad for this taco to be out-of-this-world, but it was just across the country. Sad face.. I am willing to give Señor Sisig a second try, because the Sisig Silog with rice (bf’s meal) was delicious, and perfect.
-I then went to another truck called The Kabob Job. Catchy, but overly cheesy name; I guess I wouldn’t have been so tempted to come here if the truck were not painted bright yellow and red, but I regress, the falafel (crushed chickpea with awesome spices) side was SUPER yummy. It came with two crispy fried falafel, a generous serving of hummus on the side, feta, and tomato salad. Expecting just two falafels, this was a much better deal than I thought. The crispiness of the falafel exterior mixed with the tangy, smooth hummus, and salty feta crumbles was an amazing combination. Finishing with the tomato salad, my mouth was ready for another bite! Mmm, it was a fantastic appetizer, I wish I could have gotten the falafel classique (pita sandwich w/ the works).
-Lastly, I couldn’t have left that place without dessert! Went to Johnny Doughnuts for a sweet treat. Johnny’s has coffee, donuts, and other things, but the huge donuts of display was what sparked my interest in this truck. Many of the donuts were cinnamon sugar coated, while others were frosted with sparkles, or glazed. But no matter what, they were super soft and delicious. There were cinnamon twists, ‘bismarks’ (filled donuts I assume), and the classics. I got a Lime Marscapone Bismark, and holy cow– this super soft cinnamon-sugar bundle of creamy, sweet, cheesy filling was AMAZING. One of my favorite donuts ever. It was packed full of the marscapone with a strong citrus flavor that worked great together. Think of a key lime pie but creamier and more delicious because deep-fried and cinnamon.. Upon further investigation (online) of this truck, they are a small batch bakery that uses high quality local ingredients, and what they serve is based on the ingredients they can get the night before. SWEET. 😉
In all, this experience was great, like a mini ‘Taste of [insert city]’ minus the huge lines and stupid ticket system. Got to try delicious foods and relax outside in a mellow and fun-lit environment. Would definitely return, and recommend! This was part of my California travel section. Stay tuned, thanks 🙂
The Codmother- San Francisco, CA
Other than In-and-Out Burgers, this was my first ever taste of California, specifically the Bay Area, and man what a first experience it was! I would like to mention that not only is it steps away from Fisherman’s Wharf, the lady who owns/works this food trailer(?) is extremely sweet; asks you where you’re from, gives you great suggestions, wants to have an actual conversation, etc. And with all outdoor seating and no line because I was fortunately there on the off-season, it’s my type of place. –Admittedly, I loved the Cod-fishsticks (“cocksticks” as my college family and I called ’em) served in the dorm dining halls. It was crunchy outside and juicy inside, never over-fishy, and the exterior stayed adhered to the meat. Enough about college, this fry is waay more delicious. Served with a very simple cabbage/carrot coleslaw underneath, it has so many great flavors setting it up; the little fishy. Correction, colossal fishy is more like it, because these are not your normal kids-eat-free-on-Thursdays-menu fish sticks, these are for grown-ups with grown-up taste buds who like grown-up malt vinegar, salt, and tartar sauce on the side, hell yeah! Like I mentioned earlier about all the good things about the dorm fish sticks, these roll the same way, except that the frying batter recipe was crispier and golden, the way I like it. Not to mention the fact that this fish came from only a few footsteps away, AND there’s a tall squeeze bottle of malt vinegar on each table, mmm.. I could just imagine my first bite again; the huge crunch right through the batter, then moist, flavorful fish, chased with some vinegarred (made this verb up) coleslaw and your mouth is already ready for the next satisfying chew.
Now, the fish was my favorite part of this meal, but I would be cheating by not also reviewing the Fully Loaded Fries (I know, I know, shoulda gotten chips…). These fries are your standard hot spud, but the toppings are what make them overall unique. Idk what they put in their homemade Baja sauce, but this secret the Codparents are keeping is worth it. This huge pile of fries had melty, stringy cheese topped with this special, spicy, sweet, Baja sauce and FRESH grated garlic (yes, my mouth tasted of garlic the entire day, maybe not the best thing with a pretty neat dude with me, but doesn’t matter, we shared these fries). The intense, deep (up my sinuses and down the throat) flavors of the fries emphasized the simplicity of the fish and made you want to just go back and fourth between experiences (like a hot new date and an old crush, haha). If I did stars, I would rate The Codmother the North star over the North star, cuz it’ll point you to exactly what you want. (That was almost too cheesy even for me.. almost)
STAY TUNED FOR MORE CALIFORNIA POSTS (Restaurants and Travel) !– Please :]
Analogue- Logan Square, Chicago, IL
That’s a man-baby on the label of that hot sauce.. I’m not sure if the sauce is house-made, or just liked to boast the juxtaposition (MK’s fav word), but it was decent. This morning for brunch, I was expecting a more Cajun concoction (Analogue is a Cajun food bar), like a Po’boy, instead I got the Eggs Florentine at this fine dark-wooded establishment, the boyfrank ordered the fried chicken sliders (if you’re really interested, a pic is on the Yelp). Food was surprisingly delicious, and less surprisingly small portioned. If you look at the above picture, the plates are your standard lunch plates and the size of my meal were two tall cupcakes. Oh but the flavors!– I love slightly runny yokes and am always fascinated about how an egg could poach in a perfectly oval shape. The Florentine portion of this dish was sauteed spinach and thick-sliced onions cooked ‘just-right’ in the hollandaise sauce. Mmm, this bed of greens gave a little crunch texture to the dish and soaked up the awesome hollandaise. Underneath, providing the base for the yummy brunch totem pole is not a ‘healthful’ english muffin, but instead a slightly-sweet and thick cornbread (I loooove cornbread btw…). When you cut straight through egg, spinach, bread, and sauce, the cornbread soaks up all the flavors and leaves you with a sweet ‘fresh-baked’ taste in your mouth. All topped off with extra hollandaise (and don’t forget to add the bro-baby hot sauce) and a sprinkle of paprika (or chili powder?), it was a smartly portioned start to my morning!
In all, the dish was very satisfactory considering its size (And it was filling enough to keep me truckin’ through work this evening). The sweet, salty, creamy, and savory harmonized so well. The egg yolk mixing with the sauce and the artistic construction made sure I had every flavor in every bite.
The single most important thing I’ve learned today from this experience: An Eggs Florentine is the exact same thing as an Eggs Benedict, except that it uses spinach instead of meat. And I was going to request a sausage on it (+$5), whoops, glad I didn’t, I think it would mask the perfection of the spinach.
Ipsento- Bucktown, Chicago, IL
Of all coffee shops I’ve ever tried, to my current recollection, this is my favorite! I am not a hipster, nor a stereotypical yuppie, or even a Chicago resident, but I know good coffee when I have it. I have tried the Nutella Latte, and the home specialty Ipsento Latte and both are so uniquely phenomenal! I went on two separate occasions to satisfy my coffee craving, both to-go, so I did not get to see how the proper shop setup was for said drinks, but I could just imagine the experience (with those artistic swirlies in the foam).. ❤
First off, the Nutella is not just chocolate and hazelnut syrup, there’s something about it that makes it really taste like you’re biting straight through a Ferrero Rocher; crispy, nutty, chocolate outside, hazelnut creme, and finally the cute, fatty hazelnut in the middle (Not to mention this shop is super cute! Clean, wood, minimalist front with a large separate lounge/table area up a short flight of stairs). If you could imagine those chocolate commercials with the golden ribbons in the background and clear-complexioned people consuming a piece of very desirable chocolate in slow-motion: that’s YOU walking down the street sippin’ this drink.
Now, the famous (idk really by whose standards) Ipsento Latte is a strange one but is equally a very delicious and interesting sensation. [Btw, drinks come in 12oz & 16oz, not important, but just since I remembered]. It contains light coconut milk, cayenne pepper, and honey. Honey in coffee?– that’s pretty European, I think?– I know I have never tried such a thing in my coffee before, but holy cow!– this place got me doing it at home once in a while. The espresso base is standard; standard really good coffee beans, perfectly roasted (I hate places that make ‘dark’ synonymous to ‘extra super burnt roasted’ blehh, I’m being a drama queen).The coconut brought a nutty creamy finish right before the spicy sensation of the cayenne running down your throat. If you don’t like ‘spicy food’ don’t worry, somehow this spice only getcha at the very end and does NOT stick to your tongue. The creators definitely aced their flavor harmonies because each one shone for a glimpse before morphing into a balanced perfection. Such a weird drink, from what I remember, but so good and satisfying from first hot sip to last.
I really cannot choose a favorite of these two drinks, my advice, go with what you FEEL. You feelin’ kinda spicy with a little exoticness after a first date dinner– Ipsento Latte 😉 . Just want to relax for a night in (yes, if you’re like me, coffee is a so-go all times of the day) or have errands to run?– Nutella. And also, the drinks were so well made that I didn’t have to ‘fuss and adjust’ at all with the extra sugars, milks, or syrups provided on the side table, all the more to keep you relaxed 🙂
Crispie’s Upside-down Apple Cake
–Not to mention with HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM. And on a separate note… I applied to three jobs today, hooray! Anywhoo, this feautured ‘Homecookin” post goes to my very great friend, Crystal, because of this delicious cake she made sometime last week. I’m so glad she took a picture so I could post it.
So think about it: crumbly, crunchy brown-sugar crust, moist, light cake with cinnamon-sugar Fiji apples stacked carefully on top (on bottom of baking pan. But hey, it’s all about perspective!). I’ve really had no other apple cake with a perfect amount of sweetness, caramelized crunch and really great bread-like texture. I love crusty bread with a really soft, almost ?melty? (I can’t really explain the texture, I know it’s probably not melty, but it just crumbles in your mouth), insides, and this cake had that! But it was no appetizer bread, it was a dessert bread. Ah, after a baked chicken and white sweet potato dinner, the sweet, sweet cinnamon was so delicious in my mouth *drool. I have no idea what recipe she used, it’s out there somewhere, but really the best part is that it’s made for you, right? haha. It’s part bread, part apple pie, part pineapple upside-down cake (-Pine), all yummy. The icing on top of the cake (literally), the whipped cream, was also so creamy and cold and fluffy and piled high on there, wrapped the flavors all together. The spice from the cinnamon, tart/sweet of the apple, crisp of the bread, and light fattiness of the whipped cream– Geeze Crystal, I hate you, it was too good. Thank you!
Veni, Vidi, Edi it 