Beyond Sweet and Savory

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Pike Place Market

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It has been over two years since we last visited Seattle.  Being sick while pregnant and caring for a new baby can hamper any traveling plans. As luck would have it, a work conference was scheduled in Seattle and I could not pass up the opportunity to spend time in the Emerald city.  

My favorite Seattle attraction is Pike Place Market.  While some people dislike it for being overcrowded with tourists, I enjoy the energy and subtle charm of this Pacific Northwest establishment. It’s a wonderful market filled with fresh produce, seafood, beautiful flowers, and many specialty shops.




 Berries were in abundance. Stalls after stalls of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries, all sourced from local berry farms.


The seafood selection was incredible–uni, shrimp, oysters, clams, mussels, crabs, lobsters, salmon, and different types of fish.


It’s also a culinary destination for a foodie like myself.  


I love the salmon pate piroshky from Piroshky Piroshky.  The line is always out the door for their delicious baked goods but it moves pretty fast.  


Le Panier French Bakery is another must stop.  Step inside the bakery, and you’re enveloped in the aroma of freshly baked bread, tarts, croissants, eclairs, macarons, and pastries.  


I cannot resist their delectable almond croissant and  macarons.  



Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt was a new favorite for this trip.  


I am not a yogurt fanatic, but it was the best Greek yogurt I have ever tasted.  


It reminds me of Vietnamese yogurt.  I got to try the passion fruit, marrionberry pie, and chai tea, and they were all flavorful and delicious. My tummy was quite happy after a walk through this wonderful market. I only spent two hours at Pike Place Market but it was definitely my favorite part of this trip.

Puerto Rico

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Vu and I have just come back from Puerto Rico and we have a lot to share with you!  It was our first time visiting a Caribbean island and what an amazing experience we had.  We were smitten with the lush green vegetation sweeping across the island and its beautiful coastline hemmed by turquoise water.  Without much further ado!


Old San Juan, the historic district, guarded by massive walls and forts El Morro and San Cristobal   





16thto 17th restored Spanish colonial buildings



Beautiful wooden doors found throughout Old San Juan




Blue cobblestone street


We lucked out and got to experience the San Sebastian Festival, a four day Mardi Gras-like celebration in honor of the island’s rich culture.  


We were packed in like sardines, among the thousands of attendants. 


Vieques Island, a short ferry from Fajardo



Old pier at Vieques Island

Random tree trunk, perfect for photo op

Found many floating coconuts during our walk

Fresh coconut straight from the tree

Sun Bay


Baby sea urchin

White sea urchin

Star fish

Another star fish


More star fish



Sunset at Vieques ferry terminal


El Yungue Rainforest was magnificent, filled with lush green vegetation


La Coca Fall


Every inch of the forest was covered with fern and moss

Yokahu Tower
 


The view from Yokahu Tower

See that peak?  We hiked up there!



We hiked to the top of El Yungue tower where you can see Luquillo Beach and Fajardo in the distance.  It took 3 hours but so rewarding.


We relaxed at Luquillo Beach after our hike.  Incredibly beautiful and unspoiled by tourists. This is at the top of my beach list!



The famous Caribbean blue green water.  



Rio Camuy Cave


Rock formation inside Rio Camuy Cave


Random fruits and vegetables found at roadside stands




We had a great time in Puerto Rico and couldn’t be happier with all the adventures that we squeezed into our schedule.  Puerto Rico, you leave us yearning for that warm, turquoise Caribbean water!    

Proposed itinerary:

Day 1: exploring metro San Juan and Old San Juan
Day 2: hike at El Yungue Rainforest then relax at Luquillo Beach
Day 3: drive east to Fajardo and take the ferry to Vieques Island
Day 4: drive west to Rio Camuy Cave then end the day at Bicardi Distillery for a rum tour

Places we didn’t get to explore: Culebra Island and Ponce 

Things we couldn’t schedule: bioluminescent bay tour and coffee tour

Where we stayed: San Juan Beach Hotel in Condado Beach

Website we used to get info for the trip: seepuertorico

Tips for travel to PR: bring summer clothing, a swimsuit, sunscreen, bug spray, hiking shoes, and nausea/vomiting medication (if you’re prone to motion sickness for those ferry rides)



Whistler, British Columbia

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When we were in Vancouver, Vu’s cousin suggested a day trip to Whistler, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  Even though Whistler is famous for its top notch ski resorts, Vu and I were excited to explore the hiking trails.  
On the way to Whistler, we stopped by Purebread, a small bakery known for its amazing selection of bread and pastries–almond croissants, nutella brioche, cream scones, cookies, and brownies.  
I wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet and ordered the lemon bar instead.  It was the best lemon bar that I have ever tasted.  The short crust bottom was crumbly and the lemon layer had the perfect balance of tartness.  
We went on our merry way after our pastry fix.  

Despite our late start, we were able to squeeze in a 3 hour bike ride.  It was my first time riding a bike in six years and my struggle with the gears was apparent.  I was fearing for others as I flew down the slopes at times, praying that I would not crash into fellow bikers.  The weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful.  
We were engulfed by the pine forest with its scent permeating the air.  Those pine scented car fresheners pale in comparison.  We made a few stops along the lakes.  The water at Alta Lake was pristine and calm, glistened with the glorious summer sun.  The majestic mountains.  The welcoming lakes.   And the vast pine forest.  Nature at its finest.  We were in awe of our surrounding.  
These pictures couldn’t capture the magnificence and beauty of Whistler.  You have to be there.  At the end of our trip, my legs refused to pedal and I walked my bike to the rental shop but the trip was worth it.   
Vu and I agreed that Whistler is one of our favorite destinations.  On a different note, I recently came across Aran’s beautiful post of Whistler.             

Bits and Pieces of Vancouver

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Vu and I spent last week in the Pacific Northwest, soaking in the summer sun, fresh sea breeze, and scent of the pine forest.  We are sharing some of our favorite finds in Vancouver. 

Our first stop was Le Marche St. George, a charming and rustic café/pantry down the street from Vu’s cousins’ house.  

It’s a hidden gem of Vancouver.  The shop is stocked with products made from local artists as well as an impressive collection of teas, pasta, olive oils, honey, and pantry items.   

While Vu and our lovely tour guides were enjoying their delectable pastries, coffee, and tea, I was snapping pictures after pictures.   

What a lovely cafe.  I can spend every morning here even though I don’t drink coffee. 

Our lovely tour guides.

Our second favorite store was Old Faithful Shop in Gastown.   

The owner and genius behind Old Faithful Shop, Walter Manning, sources beautiful products from around the world, whether they are enamelwares from England, syrup from New York, coffee from San Francisco, or home grown products right in the heart of Vancouver.   

And of course, I couldn’t walk away empty handed.  I bought a few items for our kitchen. 

     

With limited time, we made a quick stop at the Granville Island Public Market for some tasty pates from Oyama Sausage Company.   

I was amazed at their diverse selection of pates, prosciuttos, salamis, and sausages.  We ordered the duck prosciutto and four different types of pate which we thoroughly enjoyed. 

Unlike our past trips, we focused more on exploring Vancouver and less on the culinary scene.  There were a couple restaurants that were memorable.   

For our last morning in Vancouver, Vu’s cousins took us to Santouka for ramen which did not disappoint. 

It’s comparable to our favorite ramen restaurant in San Diego.  The broth was flavorful and the meat was tender.  

For one of our dinners, we went to Blue Water Café and Raw Bar.   The appetizers were not impressive, but the scallops and sable fish entrees were delicious.

Thanks to Vu’s cousins, we had a fabulous time in Vancouver.  We are already planning our next trip!  Until next time Vancouver!   

A Slice of San Francisco: The Ferry Building

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If you’re a foodie, a farmer’s market aficionados, or artisan food enthusiast, the Ferry Building is a must stop.  The Ferry Building is one of my favorite places to visit whenever I’m in the city.  Saturday is the best time to stop by because a larger farmer’s market is held both in front of the Ferry Building and on the rear plaza overlooking the bay compared to a smaller market on Tuesday or Thursday.  In addition to the market vendors offering fresh farm products and artisan foods, residing inside the building are more fabulous cafes and eateries as well as purveyors of fine foods.  You can easily spend an entire afternoon here.  
These cherries were so sweet!

Roli Roti’s famous porchetta sandwich

  
The line is always long for Roli Roti and everything gets sold out by 1 P.M.

Blue Bottle Cafe 

The barista accidentally made an extra cup of coffee for the customer in front of us so mine was free.



I ordered the prosciutto cotto with provolone and whole grain mustard which tasted way better than the sandwich I had ordered at Tartine.



The strawberry macaron is my favorite!  I love the light strawberry cream.


Heath Ceramics

I love their dinnerware.  All hand-made.  Just beautiful.







A Slice of San Francisco

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I was in San Francisco all of last week for a trauma/critical care conference.  If you know me, it was definitely NOT all work and no play.  I played a lot, saw a lot, and of course ATE a lot. I have been avoiding the scale ever since I came home.
 

My first stop was Tartine Bakery, the infamous café in the heart of Mission District. 


 Lucky for me, I came there around 2 P.M. so all the people who needed their Tartine fix were either at work or somewhere else.   

I ordered the Jambon Royale & Gruyère.  It was HUGE.  Splitting it with a friend would be wise because I had mine for lunch and dinner. 

 

 

Being a passion fruit fanatic, I had eyed the Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian cake the minute I walked in the door.  It was not as good as I had imagined.  The cake was a bit dry but the passion fruit cream was spot on.   

I will have to come back and try a few more pastries and sandwiches before I can decide if Tartine is worth all the hype.
On the way back to the bart station, I happened to walk by Pot and Pantry and decided to take a peek.  And no it’s not an eaterie, but a cute kitchen shop.   

The shop owner, Donna, was very gracious and let me take a few pictures.  
I love the quote from Julia Child on her window and many antique items she carries.  I refrained from buying whatever my heart desired.  Vu would be proud knowing that I only walked away with one item! 
There was another home store that I visited in the Pacific Heights neighborhood called March Pantry that I fell in love with.  Unfortunately, I decided to leave my camera at the hotel so I have no pictures to show you how lovely it is.  I can’t really afford most of the things they carry but it was still fun to gawk at their items.  Ben was the only one in the store and we spent at least 30 minutes chatting about handcrafted, one of a kind ceramic, jewelry, and artwork.  I have never experience such wonderful customer service, not even at Nordstrom. 


My first dining experience was at Café Claude, a cute bistro in the back of alley.  It has an amazing ambiance and brought back fond memories of Paris, but the dining experience was not impressive.   
The steak was ok but a bit pricey.  My favorite part of the plate was the asparagus.  They were tender and seasoned perfectly.  Can’t say the same about the steak though.  
Who doesn’t love a drink with a name like that?!!!  I had eaten at another French restaurant nearby, Café de la Presse, and would definitely pick that over Café Claude.
Knowing how much I love food, a couple friends picked me up for a popular food truck event, Off the Grid, at Fort Mason Center.  

The best thing I had that night was the Chairman bao with pork belly.  Genius!  Forget Peking duck!  The Seoul fries and shrimp garlic noodle were pretty good too.  If you happen to be in the city on a Friday, give it a try!   
For another night I met up with a few friends and had dinner at Chapeau, a French bistro in the Richmond area.   

It was definitely one those dining experiences that I will never forget.  Chef Philippe came out and greeted everyone.  When I told him how sad I was that the foie gras was no longer on his menus, he said he would make an exception for our table.  Awesome!  

My favorite dishes of the night were the foie gras appetizer, porcini crusted veal sweetbreads, and rabbit leg.  Chef Philippe’s passion for his cuisine shined through and his infectious personality definitely made me want to visit the restaurant again.
Instead of ordering dessert, we headed to Bi-Rite Creamery for a frozen treat.  We ordered six different flavors but the salted caramel and balsamic strawberry were the clear winners for me.   

Bi-Rite definitely won me over.  I am impatiently waiting for their book, Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, to come in the mail.  Amazon, please ship my book!  My ice cream machine is ready to go! 

Just when my taste buds thought they were done for the night, one of the girls had a craving for avocado ice cream so we drove to Mitchell’s ice cream immediately after we finished our Bi-Rite scoops.   

While my stomach was not too happy with another onslaught of dairy products, I was excited to discover an ice cream that tastes like sinh to bo (Vietnamese avocado smoothie).  I cannot wait to attempt such a wonderful flavor.   

On my last day in SF, my friend and I had lunch at Pompei’s Grotto.   

Their cioppino was pretty good.  It reminded me of my favorite dish at Jake’s Del Mar, the mixed seafood pot.   

We ended our wonderful afternoon at Ghirardelli Square.  Sometimes, you just need a good old fashion scoop of cookie and cream ice cream, nothing fancy, and it’s so satisfying. 
I had a lot of fun on this trip, exploring the different neighborhoods of San Francisco whether by foot, muni, bart, or cable car.  My muscles were sore in places I didn’t even know existed but it was worth it.   San Francisco, you got me good!  I will have to come back with Vu and revisit some of these places and discover new ones as well.
Unfortunately, my trip ended on a sour note.  I had a five hour flight delay courtesy of Virgin America.  I was at the airport since 7 P.M. and didn’t even make it home until 3:30 A.M. the next day.  Virgin America lied to us about why our flight was delayed.  Some lame excuses about runway construction and all the flights being pushed back.  But 5 hours?  Seriously?  One of their pilots accidentally let it slip that they had mechanical problems with their plane and were still trying to get parts to fix it.  Everyone was upset with the lack of communication from Virgin America.  Not one single passenger got a text regarding the delay.  Why do you need our phone number again?  Maybe Southwest can teach them a few lessons about communication.  When some passengers asked about changing flights since they had missed their connecting flights, Virgin America responded they would have to pay the extra fee for changing flights.  ABSURD, isn’t it!!!  When asked about compensation for our 5 hour delay, we were told that we would get a $25 voucher toward our next flight.  What a slap in the face!  Thank you Virgin America for the lack of communication, accountability, and respect for your customers!  This was my first and last time flying Virgin America.  Like many other passengers, I will be writing a letter to Virgin America expressing my distaste for the whole experience.  Sigh.  Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.  I had to vent…  On a different note, I will share my happier experience with the Ferry Building for the next post!   

Happy Memorial Day

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We spent Memorial Day at Coronado Beach.  A bit overcast initially but the sun finally made a presence.  It was glorious.  
A little garden near where we had breakfast made us do a double take. 
 
Beautiful rows of strawberries, lavender, brussels sprouts, corn, artichoke, tomatoes, herbs, and much more.   
 
It gave me inspiration for my dream garden.  
After breakfast, we took off our sandals and ran into the water.  It was cold at first but refreshing.  
We walked.  Talked.  Snapped lots of pictures.  
We felt grateful for the service men and women who gave their lives so we can enjoy such freedom and simple pleasures.   
  

Memories of Chicago

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I was going through our photo files and found a few pictures of Chicago that I wanted to share with you.  Right around this time last year, with a few months of residency left and  our major research projects finished, some of my friends and I headed to Chicago to celebrate.  I fell in love with Chicago architecture and food scene.  A few of our dining highlights included The Purple Pig, David Burke’s Primehouse, and L2O. 

The view from our condo.

It was really pretty at night, with all the buildings lit up.

For our first night in Chicago, we hit up The Purple Pig for dinner, located conveniently on the Magnificent Mile.  Recommended by a friend for its lively atmosphere and creative menu, we could not pass up the opportunity.  

With a group of seven, we ordered practically everything on the menu.  My 4 favorites of the night were Razor Clams with Oregano and Lemon & Olive Oil, Mussels with Pancetta and Crème Fraiche & Marjoram, Pork Blade Steak with ‘Nduja & Honey, and Steak and Mushrooms.  

 Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette

Asparagus & Hazelnuts with Arugula & Treviso

 Octopus with Favette, Celery & Radishes

Purple Pig Platter for the charcuterie lover

Charred Cauliflower, Toasted Breadcrumbs, Cornichons & Parsley

  
Eggplant Caponata with Goat Cheese

The razor clams were grilled to perfection and left me wanting more even though my stomach was ready to explode.  The mussels were tender, moist, and flavorful.  Who would have thought a restaurant specializing in pork would have such amazing mussels! 

Pork Liver Pate

 Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs

The pork blade was Vu’s favorite.  To this day, he has not found a piece of pork as perfect. The thickness was just right, and you can taste a hint of sweetness from the honey mixed in with the char.  

And the steak.  What can I say?  It was seasoned perfectly.  Besides a great selection of small dishes and entrees, they also have an extensive wine and beer collection.  Our pant buttons were just about to pop off so we skipped desserts.  To this day we have not found any restaurants like The Purple Pig.


Navy Pier


Deep dish pizza for lunch at Giordano’s

The next night, we dined at David Burke’s Primehouse, known for its dry aged steak in a Himalayan rock salt room.  Our dinner started off with the Yorkshire pudding popovers.  Cheesy, warm, and delicious.  A perfect start.  We also ordered the Wagyu beef sashimi.  It was soooooo good!  I wish I had it all to myself.   

For dinner, everyone ordered the 55 day dry-aged ribeye.  As expected, it was juicy, cooked to perfection, and concentrated with flavor, but not as intense as I had expected.  However, for a whopping price of $63, I was not impressed.  Between you and me, I would rather have the steak from the Purple Pig.  For one third of the price, it tastes just as good minus the whole dry-aged deal.   

We ended the night with red velvet cake in a can and vanilla ice cream.  Our server even brought out the velvet cake batter for us to taste.  That was a fun part of dessert that was completely unexpected.  It was a very enjoyable dinner, but at a steep price.  


The Bean at Millennium Park

Our last dinner in Chicago was at L2O.  The night started off with amuse-bouches of salmon mousse and mini lobster roll.  The lobster roll was such a teaser.  About the size of my thumb, I was wishing it was a full-sized lobster roll.   

Our servers presented a selection of freshly baked bread and homemade butter but we skipped most of it.  The highlights of the night were the foie gras with pickled rhubarb, poached lobster, and shabu shabu.   

The foie gras was the best I have ever tasted.  It was creamy, rich, and seared perfectly.   

Avocado Hut with Crab and Apple Jelly

Seared Scallops 



The Maine lobster was juicy and delicious.  The peas and other vegetables were unnecessary.  Just lobster would have been fine!  

 Uni and caviar



As for the shabu shabu, the scallops, shrimps, fish, and lobster were so fresh and sweet that I ate most of it raw.  That defeated the purpose of shabu shabu but I didn’t want to waste such fine seafood. 

And finally, for dessert, Vu and I were blown away by the manjari chocolate egg filled with salted caramel, a hint of coffee, and malt snow.  We have never had such a unique dessert.  It was fun to eat!  

You crack the egg and dig out the salted caramel, mix it with some malt snow, and get ready to be blown away by the combination of flavor.   

  

As if we were not stuffed enough, our servers sent us off with chocolate cake and bonbon.  By far, this was one of the best dinners we have ever had.  Despite the weather being unkind and many of our activities cancelled, we had a great time in Chicago.  The dining experiences made our trip worthwhile.  We cannot wait to visit Chicago again!

The Dallas World Aquarium

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Remember those field trips you took in grade school?  Vu and I felt like we were on a field trip when we visited the Dallas World Aquarium last weekend.  The animals.  The plants.  The colors.  Wow!  We were transported to a rainforest and an underwater world.  Amazed.  Excited.  Disbelief.  Those are the words that summed up our experience.