Our second SD Beer Week event, a beer pairing dinner at Ba Ren. This is pork and kabocha. We’ve gone through 8 dishes and 4 beers and we’re not even done yet. A full writeup is coming.
We’re at the Alesmith beer pairing brunch at The Pearl. I think I may be drunk already. It’s a good start to San Diego Beer Week.
There are a couple of forums I scroll through, usually to fill time when I’m completely bored (and, no, this is not about Chowhound). Today I was reading a thread in which someone complained about their paychecks not being delivered on time, which resulted in their bank account being overdrawn. Posts continued and then morphed into a Banks Are Evil theme. Some posts were written by reasonable people who gave radical advice, such as keeping a cushion in your account or keeping accurate checkbook records so you know how much money you have or not spending money until you’ve checked that your deposits are cleared. Crazy! What really got me, though, was the poster who claimed that it’s hard to keep extra money in the bank when you’re always living paycheck to paycheck. Then they added at the end that they usually do try to keep $50 as their cushion to cover their Xbox Live fees.
Dude. If money is so tight, maybe you should consider giving up whatever is costing you $50 a month in Xbox Live fees.
Suite & Tender goes to the bloggers
Published October 29, 2009 food , restaurants 3 CommentsTags: downtown, food bloggers, gaslamp, san diego, suite & tender
As I mentioned earlier, we were generously treated to dinner and drinks at Suite & Tender. I’m not sure how I got on the list, but I’m glad we were invited! Suite & Tender opened at the beginning of the year and is billed as the trendy hot spot downtown for fancy cocktails and luxurious food. You can find their menu online, and I suggest you take a look to follow along.
Food bloggers and other writers were invited, and I half-joked to Travis that I was going to Google the event to figure out who was there. Well, now I know Darlene, Jenny, and Mary were there, so we’ll see if anyone else writes it up. We’re all probably wondering what the other will say about the night. I’ll admit that we were completely taken care of, from the first bite to the wine pairing to the valet parking, by the restaurant, with the exception of the two cocktails we had at the bar because we got there an hour early.
When you get to Suite & Tender, you walk through an enormous door that must be perfectly balanced to swing open with such a slight push.
big door
We all gathered downstairs in the bar area while bites from the bar menu were passed around: Wagyu beef sliders, mini corn dogs, and Kobe beef carpaccio. I didn’t actually get to try the beef sliders, but they looked plump and tasty! The mini corn dogs had a tasty corn battered shell and it tasted more like a sausage than a hot dog. It was flavorful and I can see it being a nice dish during happy house, but mine was a little tough to bite through the sausage skin. And I think I had sausage grease drip down my chin. But tasty! I don’t know if the bar-menu carpaccio is served as we had it – a slice of tender beef on a slice of toasted baguette with pickled scallions – but that’s what we enjoyed. My “crouton” wasn’t very crisp, but it’s still a nice two-bite appetizer. When we visited for Restaurant Week, the carpaccio was served on a plate with the croutons along the side, and it was a generous portion.
Once we all headed upstairs to the restaurant, then the fun began. Beverage orders were taken and then wine glasses were brought out to pair with the courses. The amuse bouche was presented (I love amuse bouches!), a black mission fig with Roquefort cheese. I didn’t think the fig was sweet enough to stand up the sharpness of the blue cheese.
I do love figs, though
We started with a “quad plate” of some appetizers: hamachi fish tacos, maple glazed bacon, lump crab cakes, and fried rock shrimp. There was a choice of wines, and Travis and I shared the William Fevre Chablis (because I’d already had a very boozy Manhattan, I’m a lightweight, and we had an entire night to get through), which was a crisp white, slightly dry, and drinkable until we got to the second wine (which probably means it was in the correct order).
top left, clockwise: fried rock shrimp, hamachi fish tacos, maple glazed bacon, lump crab cakes
My favorite was the fried rock shrimp. It felt more dusted than battered; a very light coating. There were candied walnuts and a slightly sweet dressing. The shrimp was cooked perfectly – still tender and moist and not at all rubbery. The fish tacos were cold; maybe they were supposed to be? We were told the bacon is soaked in maple syrup for 24 hours before being cooked. It’s thick cut bacon and not cooked to a crisp, so you get to enjoy that meaty chewiness. In all honesty, it’s bacon. In maple syrup. Bacon. How can it not be enjoyable? The lump crab cakes were also good. Nice big lumps of crab, a crisp outer coating, and just a hint of spice in the saucee (which I guess is a remoulade). If we were going to order appetizers, I’d be happy with the rock shrimp or the crab cakes (Travis would choose the crab cakes, hands down).
Two plates of salad were set out for each table. We shared the duck confit and baby spinach salads, which were paired with an Evolution Sauvignon Blanc (a slightly sweet, fruity wine that was very drinkable, but also made the Chablis taste drier than I think it actually is). I was looking forward to the duck confit salad because I love anything with duck, but the baby spinach ended up being the winner, mostly because of the pine nut butter spread on the bottom of the plate. The duck salad had crunchy candied walnuts, but the vinaigrette seemed missing (read: cabbage tasted like non-dressed cabbage) and the duck was too moist and mushy for my tastes (sorry!)
baby spinach, bacon, pine nut butter, sliced crab apple, caramel vinaigrette
crunchy-yet-bland napa cabbage, duck, candied walnuts, and (supposedly) walnut vinaigrette
Although we were invited to experience the new fall menu, the “Suite & Tender” items (surf & turf) were also presented as choices. Travis chose the Alaskan King Crab and Veal Tenderloin, while I went for the lamb chop. In hindsight, I should have chosen a fish dish, since I know how to cook a good lamb chop and Suite & Tender seems to excel at their seafood dishes. Before the entree comes out, you’re presented with a tray of handcrafted knives from around the world
ooh... fancy knives!
generous portion of two-bone chops
king crab leg and a huge piece of veal
My lamb chops came with a goat cheese/sweet potato puree that was delicious. A slice of lamb, swish of puree, and dab of the tomato jus made for a perfect bite. The lamb was cooked to medium and it was quite tender. Also, thick. There was plenty of lamb on that plate, at least to me it was. Travis’ veal was also cooked perfectly and is probably my favorite meat option over the short ribs or pork belly that we tried on our previous visit. But, you really can’t beat a piece of crab that tastes like it’s been doused in butter. It reminds me of the buttery lobster we had eaten before.
By this time, I was getting full, yet I was still excited about all this food being presented to us. So, I know we had a red wine with this course, but I have no idea what it was. Sorry. I can tell you that it was a big wine, very boozy, with a dry finish. Probably doesn’t help you much, though.
The dessert cordials/port list was brought out, as well as a coffee and tea service cart. If I was a better drinker, I would have loved to partake in a cordial, but alas, I chose decaf coffee. The last time I had regular coffee after 4pm I was wide awake well after midnight.
Similar to the appetizer plate, four desserts came out on a quad plate: the Suite & Tender cheesecake, a 5th Avenue torte, ice cream sandwiches, and a chocolate truffle cake.
clockwise from top left: chocolate truffle cake, 5th Ave torte, cheesecake, ice cream sandwiches.
The truffle cake was served with a peanut butter ice cream (yum) and it wasn’t as dense as you would expect a truffle cake to be. It was moist and chocolatey and easily finished. The 5th Avenue torte was served with a shot of Frangelico and milk. Why they brought one shot out when four people are sharing a plate is a bit confusing. When the rest of the desserts were gone and the shot was left standing, I just went ahead and poured some into my spoon. It tasted like… milk with a splash of Frangelico! The almond-y ice cream that went with the torte was nice and refreshing. The torte itself wasn’t as peanut-buttery as I thought it would be from the description. If I hadn’t been expecting peanut butter, I’d say it was still a good slice of cake. The cheesecake was not nearly as dense as the one we had last time. It was light and airy, like it was whipped? Even though I prefer the thick, rich cheesecakes, this one was much easier to eat and finish, which is saying something considering how much we’d already tasted by now. The ice cream sandwiches were filled with a rocky road ice cream – nice, chewy hunks of marshmallow in chocolate ice cream. And they were sandwiched with thin brownie slices. I think the truffle cake was my favorite, aside from the almond ice cream on the plate.
As if that wasn’t enough, we were all presented with a lovely gift bag to take home. It had some menu brochures, a press release on the upcoming Stone beer pairing menu (for November), a CD with menu files and photos, a mini cocktail shaker, and some house-made candies (ginger and cinnamon, I believe). I took some of the candies to work… they taste really good, but after a while they get kind of sticky in your mouth. No chewing, you just have to let them melt away.
goodies!
In addition to the generous hosting of the restaurant and Kelsey (with Wagstaff), Travis and I also enjoyed the people watching. There was a smooth jazz player in the bar and some ladies who were definitely out for a night on the town. Or maybe just a night ogling the saxaphone player. We also watched the valet guys try to jimmy open a car whose keys I assume were locked in. They were at it for well over an hour, but the car was gone by the time we left, so maybe someone finally got it open.
I’ll be the first to admit that Suite & Tender is not really the budget-friendly dining destination, but I think it’s doing well at what it set out to be. You’ll find all sorts of people in the bar and lounge and I bet it’s quite fun on weekends. And, while the food may carry a higher price tag, it’s really good food (except for the duck salad… could someone work on that?) I hear they have great happy hour bar specials, so the carpaccio and rock shrimp would be good choices. I’d even give the mini corn dogs another chance (of course, I do love corn dogs in general). The service is excellent and everyone’s really friendly.
Travis and I had such a fun time. I also really enjoyed getting to meet Darlene and Jenny in person, people who have left comments here (sometimes I even reply!) and whose blogs I’ve been reading for a while (but I’m terrible at leaving comments). You may not know it, but I bought my seat belt purse because I saw it on Darlene’s blog and just loved it! I also got to meet Mary and now I’m getting caught up on all the tasty things she’s found in San Diego. It’s still a little weird to me, having this blog as a part of my identity, but I’m learning how to have fun with it.
So, thank you Suite & Tender for all that lovely food and drink, and thank you Kelsey for inviting us and letting us participate!
Foodie Community Dinner
Published October 28, 2009 food , restaurants 4 CommentsTags: downtown, food bloggers, gaslamp, san diego, suite & tender
Thanks to a generous night by Wagstaff Worldwide and Suite & Tender, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with other local food bloggers. I also got to meet Darlene and Jenny, whose blogs I follow (and vice versa), and Mary! Plenty of pictures were taken and a full commentary will follow, but not tonight. I’m too full of food, dessert, and wine. I have just enough energy to lock up the chickens and crawl into bed. Tomorrow, after all, is still a work day.
Our crazy dog
Published October 24, 2009 dogs Leave a CommentTags: destruction, dog toy, eskie, lexi
I know I said there would be pictures of our New York trip and the fabulous meals we enjoyed, but you’re getting a short post on our crazy dog first. Because it’s easier.
We walked by a doggy boutique in one of the various neighborhoods in New York (on our way to/from the subway and/or to/from some restaurant) and Travis asked if they had an indestructible dog toys. The lady pulled out a stuffed lamb and said it was very tough and a good toy because if a dog happened to pull a leg off, the limbs were not connected to the main body so the stuffing couldn’t get pulled off. We took one look at it and knew it would last five seconds before being de-limbed, de-squeaked, and de-stuffed by Lexi. She seemed dubious about our claims of this destructive dog of ours, but then pulled out a squeaker ball disguised as a bunny.
meet the bunny
Lexi wanting the squeaker So Badly
Sadie investigating the chaos under the bed
Cassie being cute as usual
our crazy dog under the bed with her toys
Nature’s Pride 12-grain bread
Published October 22, 2009 food , product review 2 CommentsTags: 12-grain bread, foodbuzz, product review
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker’s program (which I love, by the way), I received two loaves of Nature’s Pride bread to try out: 12-grain and Whole Wheat. The Whole Wheat loaf went into the freezer (two people can only eat so much bread at a time, you know) and the 12-grain loaf went into the fridge. I think I’ve gotten into the habit of storing bread in the fridge because for a while I was buying bread from Trader Joe’s, which doesn’t contain preservatives, and if you don’t refrigerate that stuff you will find it moldy in just a few days.
By no means do I consider myself a bread snob. Yes, homemade is better warm out of the oven, but for a simply piece of toast or a turkey sandwich, just about any wheat bread will do. If I was daring and threw caution to the wind, I would splurge on potato bread or some other white bread with no nutritional content, especially since it’s softer and crisps up nicely in the toaster. Alas, I do what I can to maintain a “healthy” appearance in the kitchen.
The first day, I made peanut butter toast with the 12-grain. Do you want to know how it turned out? Lovely! The texture was crisp on the toasted outside and soft in the middle and there was a nice nuttiness to all the grains and seeds in the bread. The bread also makes a great grilled cheese or ungrilled turkey/turkey bacon club. It’s good bread! It’s tasty bread! And even two weeks later (in the fridge, wrapped up), the bread is soft and enjoyable and continues to act as a strong base for peanut butter toast. I’m looking forward to testing the Whole Wheat bread in a French toast dish. That’s when you know you’ve got a good hearty bread – when it turns out a soft custardy French toast and not a hearty wheat bread covered in sweetened egg.
I haven’t priced it yet, but I’m guessing it’s going to be comparable to Orowheat or Milton’s.
By the way, when my mom was staying with us, she also ate some of the bread and loved it so much she looked for it all over once she got back home. I didn’t realize this until I talked to her later about it and she told me she was going to have to come down to San Diego just buy the 12-grain bread (she found the Whole Wheat, just not the 12-grain). I had to tell her that I wasn’t even sure what stores here carried the 12-grain, since I didn’t purchase them from the store!
Testers’ Weekend in NY
Published October 21, 2009 food , places , recipe testing 2 CommentsTags: leite's culinaria, new york, recipe testing, travel, travis, vacation
We have returned to San Diego safe and sound, if not a few pounds heavier. Both T and I have been avoiding our bathroom scale; we figure we know it’s not going to be good news (who goes on vacation and loses weight?) so we’re giving ourselves a little equalization period. We must have eaten well if T claimed rights to the elliptical machine the first night being home. I’m usually the one who’s conscious of what’s gone in my mouth and how much jumping around I’ve done lately.
New York is a big city. We did manage to orient ourselves rather quickly and learned the Metro system pretty effectively. I don’t think I got yelled at once for being too slow or turning in the wrong direction. Once, we even tried to give directions to some other lost soul before she started asking questions that went beyond our limited Metro knowledge. We did the touristy things like the Statue of Liberty (tickets to the crown are sold out through the end of this year!), Ellis Island, Wall Street, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, and Rockefeller Center, mostly in two days. We walked up Broadway, past all the theaters and Radio City Music Hall, but we didn’t take in a show this time. We also didn’t visit any museums – just not enough time. Plus, I feel like we’ve seen plenty of museums, art, and dioramas of dinosaurs and saber tooth tigers.
Our main reason for the trip (well, my main reason; T kind of came along for the ride) was to meet the other recipe testers from The New Portuguese Table and to finally meet David Leite himself. He may not have his own tv show (yet) but the anticipation of meeting him in person made me giddy and excited. Being involved as a recipe tester for Leite’s Culinaria and then later on his book is like leaving a back door into the food world unlocked. It’s not quite a foot in the door, holding it open for me to cross through; it’s more like knowing that the possibility of access through that door is there and if I decide I want to cross that threshold, then at least I know where to start.
Meeting David and talking to him is like meeting my favorite foodie celebrity. Except it’s better because I’ve e-mailed with him, talked on the phone with him, and he shipped me salt cod when I couldn’t find it anywhere in San Diego. So, seeing him in person is like turning it all into reality. And, it’s just really cool. He is friendly and funny and warm and I was sad when we had to leave everyone to go back home. Meeting the other recipe testers (as well as Linda Avery and Donna Desfor, who are in charge of the general website testers and with whom I’ve traded many e-mails) was also like a dream come true. I don’t consider myself a food snob or really even a chowhound, but sitting down to gorgeous meals with these people and discussing dishes, preparation, chefs, restaurants, and comfort food was a true joy. It’s like spending time with people who understand you, if that makes sense. Eating a beet meringue topped with crème fraiche and caviar, having it all melt away in your mouth, and knowing that everyone else at the table is feeling the exact same awe and delight is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I loved it. I loved every moment of it.
It’s also extremely motivating to be around people who have been able to incorporate their love of food into their lives. The people I met teach pastry and cooking classes, are published food writers, and develop their own recipes. I spend 40 hours a week as a civil engineer and then try to find time to assemble a dish in my spare time. Sometimes I write things down, sometimes I’ll even make a dish a second time, but it’s rare. After this weekend, though, I’m determined to start a file of recipes of my own. A signature dish; something I’ve made from scratch that is reproducible.
I took quite a few pictures of the meals we ate this weekend (it seemed appropriate) and I’ll post them later – Momofuko Ssam, Aldea, Mesa Grill, and Eleven Madison Park. But, before I got to all of that, I just wanted to tell David thank you. Thank you for starting Leite’s Culinaria so I could sign up for something I just thought would fill some spare time. Thank you for sharing the opportunity to help test your recipes for the book. Thank you for opening my eyes to a culinary world I wasn’t even aware of. And thank you for organizing our Testers’ Weekend in New York. It was one of the best trips I’ve been on and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
A small cup of Caramello (caramel with Himalayan pink sea salt) at Grom. Is all gelato so expensive?
Meat market
Published October 17, 2009 food , places Leave a CommentTags: meat shop, newark, portuguese cured meats
At the Portuguese meat market in Newark. If you know us, you’re in for a cured meat fest when we get home (thanks to David)!
