October 10, 2009
Embassy Suites NYC-
Breakfast Buffet

There are a lot of fine hotels in New York, and selecting a single one for the one-week stay last month was tough. Several factors were taken into consideration, including location within the city, proximity to public transportation hubs, overall rating from TripAdvisor, are there enough credit card rewards points to support the stay, and most importantly, does the hotel serve a daily complimentary breakfast?

Embassy Suites in TriBeCa fit the bill, with a beautiful view of the Hudson River from its windows, the World Trade Center's Ground Zero to the south, a handful of subway stations within walking distance heading to uptown Manhattan or downtown to Brooklyn, and breakfast served everyday between the hours of 6:30am to 9am during the week and extended to 10am during the weekend.

Free to whisk myself to the lounge every morning for a complimentary buffet breakfast, I was living in the lap of luxury. From cooked-to-order pancakes, waffles, and fresh omelettes, and pre-cooked sausage, scrambled eggs, and potatoes, there was a wide selection of breakfast items to feast on. Fresh fruit, cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt were also available for the more health-conscious. And the coffee! Even espresso paled in comparison to the taste of this Embassy Suites' coffee: rich, sweet, bold flavors with only a hint of bitterness. If possible, I could have a cup of this coffee every morning for the rest of my life.

I miss New York City's people, its sights, and its historical perspective. Most of all, I miss the breakfast buffet: it was a wonderful start to a day of trekking through the city.

October 2, 2009
Elijah's

I really like that Elijah's serves breakfast all day. On days that I'd like to have breakfast for dinner, Elijah's is the go-to place.

This restaurant is one of the few in San Diego that serves a New York Egg Cream: a frothy, bubbly, exciting mix of seltzer water and milk, with the option for vanilla or chocolate syrup. A refreshing twist, it's a hot chocolate served fizzy and cold.

This past weekend, John and I ordered our favorites here at Elijah's: an Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit for me, and a Big Wave Breakfast with a bagel, lox, and salami for John. The Eggs Benedict was delicious: the eggs were poached perfectly with a very runny yoke, but the fruit was stale and lacked flavor. John's Big Wave Breakfast was a standard smoked salmon with cream cheese on a bagel, and the scrambled eggs were tasty. I remember that Elijah's food tasted better years ago, and perhaps with every table and every booth in the dining area occupied that day, the kitchen was overwhelmed. Elijah's may not be one of my favorite breakfast restaurants, but for serving breakfast all day, Elijah's helps to quell my breakfast fixations.

September 29, 2009
Barefoot Contessa's Shortcake
with Fresh Strawberries and
Home-made Whipped Cream

I am always in awe of how easily Barefoot Contessa's Ina Garten, and television chefs in general, handle sticky pastry dough, like shortcake, a dough that requires a good deal of flour on all rolling surfaces. Although sticky at first glance, this particular dough peels away from surfaces rather easily.

The key to creating a light and flaky shortcake bread is very cold ingredients- cold butter, cold cream, and cold eggs. The same can also be said for heavy whipping cream, used for making whipped cream. To assemble the strawberry shortcake, I sliced the shortcake in half to produce a top layer and a bottom layer, added home-made whipped cream, strawberries, and strawberry syrup, and placed the top layer of the shortcake over the strawberries.

Ingredients- yields 9 shortcakes Barefoot Contessa's Shortcake recipe * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for sprinkling * 1 tablespoon baking powder * 1 teaspoon salt * 12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced * 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten * 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled Egg wash * 1 extra-large egg * 2 teaspoons water Fresh Strawberries * 1 package fresh strawberries, washed, sliced 1/4" thick * 2 teaspoons sugar Home-made Whipped Cream * 1 cup heavy whipping cream * 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 400F. 2) In large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. 3) Combine butter into flour mix until butter is pea-sized. 4) In small bowl, mix eggs and heavy cream. 5) Blend well into flour mixture. 6) Flour flat surface, rolling pin, and cutting tool. 7) Roll dough 3/4" thick, rectangle shape. 8) Cut rectangle into thirds width-wise. 9) Turn cutting board; cut rectangle length-wise into 9 squares. 10) Take 1 dough square and tuck sides underneath so as to form a ball. 11) Place ball of dough on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. 12) For egg wash: In small bowl, mix egg and water. 13) Brush eggwash onto tops of dough on cookie sheet. Sprinkle sugar. 14) Bake for 23 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. 15) For whipped cream: In large, clean bowl, whip together whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until firm peaks. 16) For fresh strawberries: In medium bowl, add strawberries, and stir in sugar. 17) Slice shortcake in half, horizontally, to produce top and bottom layer. 18) Place a spoonful of whipped cream on bottom layer. 19) Place two spoonfuls of strawberries onto whipped cream. 20) Drizzle strawberry syrup over strawberries. 21) Place top layer of shortcake over strawberries. 22) Enjoy.

September 23, 2009
Bronx Pizza

There's a little place in Hillcrest called Bronx Pizza that is always bustling and busy, no matter if it's 11am, when it first opens, or 10pm (11pm Fridays and Saturdays), when it closes for the night. Although the line can, at times, seem intimidating as it winds around the corner of the shop, the queue moves quickly, accepting only cash transactions in exchange for food here.

Last night, I got the Whitestone pizza, topped with mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, and garlic, on a somewhat thin, very sweet and fragrant crust. This pizza has been made famous among Bronx Pizza fans for its fresh ricotta mounds, deliciously and generously glopped on melted mozzarella. I especially like the burnt, crispy edges that crackle as I bite into the crust: very sweet, almost like a soft, garlic cracker. My favorite pizza of all time is the under-hyped Costco pepperoni-and-sausage pizza that's not offered on the Costco menu and must be custom-ordered. But the Whitestone at Bronx Pizza comes very close to rivalling my beloved Costco pizza pie.

111 Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103 619.291.3341 Su-Th      11a-10p  F-Sa      11a-11p

September 18, 2009
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
with Pecan Surprise

When I was a little girl, I made batches of chocolate chip cookie dough that turned out very flat, very thin cookies. As much as I tried, I could not create aesthetically-traditional tall chocolate chip cookies with mounds and ridges. Yesterday's batch turned out perfect because the secret is to use very soft butter. To do so, I left the butter out overnight to soften.

Infusing the chocolate sauce with decaf espresso, I coated the bottoms of both cookies for the sandwich. I added salted, roasted pecans to Breyers French Vanilla ice cream, spooned it onto the chocolate-coated side of one of the cookies, and placed the chocolate-coated side of the second cookie over the layer of pecans and ice cream. I wrapped the sandwich in plastic, placed it in the freezer for an hour to harden the chocolate coating and ice cream, and later in the day, removed it from the freezer 10 minutes before enjoying it.

Ingredients- Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies * 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened * 3/4 cup granulated white sugar * 3/4 cup packed brown sugar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 2 large eggs * 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips Chocolate-Espresso Sauce * 1/4 cup of milk * 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips * 1/2 oz of pulled decaf espresso Ice Cream Center * Breyers French Vanilla Ice Cream * Salted, Roasted Pecans

Directions: 1) Store butter outside refrigerator overnight. 2) Day of making cookies, preheat oven to 375F. 3) In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt. 4) In second bowl, mix butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract until creamy. 5) Add eggs. Mix well. 6) Gradually add flour mixture. Mix well. 7) Stir in chocolate chips. 8) Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheet, about 8 mounds to one standard-size cookie sheet. 9) Bake 11 minutes. 10) Allow to cool 10 minutes. 11) In saucepan over low heat, add milk, chocolate chips, espresso. 12) Stir until well-combined. 13) Remove from heat. Allow to cool. 14) With two cookies, coat the bottom of each cookie with chocolate sauce. Allow sauce to set by placing cookie onto parchment paper, chocolate side up. 15) Place one scoop of ice cream onto chocolate-coated side of cookie. 16) Sprinkle with pecans. 17) Place second cookie, with chocolate-coated side down, onto ice cream and pecans. 18) Wrap with plastic. Place in freezer for 1 hour. 19) Enjoy.

September 18, 2009
H&H Bagels-NYC

I really love me some fresh bagels with a crunchy shell and doughy center, and H&H's sourdough and blueberry bagels did not disappoint. Granted, I walked 40 street blocks to get to their Upper West Side location after taking wrong turn after wrong turn, so getting my hands on fresh, warm bagels were a welcome sight.

The sourdough bagel was fragrant, its center soft and warm. The blueberry bagel was the same, very delicious. I'm glad I didn't give up after walking from mid-afternoon into sunset. Enjoying the bagels on a park bench, watching the busy city go by, was well worth it.

2239 Broadway, New York, NY 10024 212.595.8000  |  Su-Sa 24hrs

September 17, 2009
Hong Kong Restaurant

Hong Kong Restaurant, in Hillcrest, has a word-of-mouth reputation frequented by an uber-cool following. A popular diner to go to after a night out in the city, come here after 2 AM and risk a long wait for a table. I like to get the Complete Dinner special, which includes a small bowl of wonton soup, three eggrolls, and an entree of my choice (for this dinner, I selected sweet and sour shrimp). Beware that the fine print of the Complete Dinner special details that if you opt for a second bowl of soup, there's a hidden charge of $1.50 tacked onto the $2.50 cost of the soup.

The wonton soup was delicious, and the filling was a very reasonable size, not too small or too big. The soft wrapping was cooked perfectly, and I liked that the wonton skin did not disintegrate in the soup broth. The eggrolls were extremely crispy, the center filling was very measly, and eggroll itself was very small.

Although the crispy vegetables scattered throughout the sweet and sour entree were crunchy and delectable, the breading that encased the shrimp was very thick, so much so that I couldn't taste the shrimp. The sauce was very tart, very acidic, but I liked the pieces of shrimp breading that were doused in sauce, as this softened the breading quite a bit. I wish that the contents of this dish were physically sauteed in the sweet and sour sauce, and not simply spilled over it as an after-thought. My last visit here, I dined on the honey-walnut shrimp, which was very delicious, and which I should have ordered again this time. Overall, I am not unhappy with Hong Kong Restaurant, and I will definitely pay this diner a visit again in the future.

3871 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 619.291.9449 M-F    11:30a-2:30a  Sa-Su     12p-2:30a

September 17, 2009
Crumbs Bake Shop-NYC

How can one not walk out of Crumbs Bake Shop with a smile? This wonderful bakery serves delicious sweets of all kinds, with a specialty in the field of cupcakes.

Their cupcakes are bigger than two of my fists, put together! For the price of $2.50-4.50, a bounty of flavors is offered, from strawberries to chocolate, vanilla to raspberry, coconut to tiramisu. I stood in front of the display window for a good fifteen minutes before deciding on a Cappuccino cupcake ($3.75) and a souvenir bag of six black-and-white cookies ($10). And what a tasty cupcake choice I made! The Cappuccino cupcake was layered with a thick and delicious frosting and dusted with fine, fragrant espresso powder. I peeled the massive cupcake open to find the frosting was also used as a filling inside the cake itself. Before I knew it, I devoured the entire cake, and then did I realize I had no model to photograph, silly me. The cupcake was really delicious, and I especially liked that it was not too rich or too sweet. It was perfect.

The black-and-white cookie was also delicious. Very light and very soft, the texture is one of a very light pancake, and the two-toned icing that gives this cookie its name is sweet without an overpowering nature, though the chocolate flavor is much more intense than the vanilla. I've heard mixed opinions about certain flavors, such as red velvet and brownies, so I highly recommend getting the Cappuccino flavor to be on the safe side. The Black-and-White cookie is also worth a try.

1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 212.399.3100 M-Th         7a-9p F           7a-10p Sa         10a-10p Su          10a-9p

September 15, 2009
Extraordinary Desserts-Little Italy

When I heard that Extraordinary Desserts opened a second location-this time in Little Italy, I was thrilled. With Eastern religious paraphernalia like buddhist statues and symbolic clay pots that line the walls inside the warehouse infrastructure and soothing sounds of harpsichord playing throughout the restaurant, I felt like I was walking into a zen place of worship. Although much different than the gathering place of Extraordinary Desserts in Banker's Hill, the change of decor was refreshing. A very tangible difference that sets this Little Italy location apart from that of Banker's Hill is the menu offerings. Here, along with elaborate desserts, the menu includes exotic panninis, a variety of cheeses, and an assortment of fine wines. It was a simple lunch for John and me Sunday: an order of imported italian tuna pannini with gruyere, garlic aioli, and truffle tapenade for myself and a turkey pannini with smoked mozzarella, cranberry mayonnaise, and butter leaf lettuce for John.

Expecting a fresh piece of ahi tuna steak between grilled slices of bread, imagine my surprise when a plate of tuna from a can was placed on the table. My heart absolutely sank. This restaurant is charging me almost $15 for a sandwich I can easily make at home from Chicken of the Sea ingredients? I have to commend the gruyere went perfectly between the pieces of bread and arugula, but the tuna was too much of a disappointment to overlook.

The turkey pannini was also very mediocre. Nice touch with the butter leaf lettuce and cranberries, but again, for the price of $10, I expected much more. Although the plate presentations were beautiful, the dining environment is one of sophistication and refinement, and despite my immense respect for this location's attempts to introduce light eats, I was expecting much more for the upscale prices.

1430 Union St, San Diego, CA 92101 619.294.7001 M-Th     8:30a-11p F        8:30a-12a Sa         10a-12a Su         10a-11p

September 12, 2009
Home-made English Muffins

Made english muffins yesterday, adapted from a recipe for tall english muffins with the help of instant yeast, baking soda, and whipped egg whites.

Three modifications were made to the original recipe: soymilk was added for flavor enhancement, all-purpose flour was used in place of bread flour, and cornmeal was left out. The dough was soft and sticky, and when cooked on the griddle, smelled fantastic. The resultant english muffin was much denser than I'd like, and there were fewer 'nooks and crannies' than a store-bought muffin, nor was it as sweet or flaky. Perhaps in the future, I'll leave out the egg whites and add a few teaspoons of sugar and a pat of butter.

Ingredients- 8 muffins * 1/4 cup water, 110F * 1 cup vanilla soymilk, 110F * 3 cups all-purpose flour * 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda * 1 1/2 teaspoons salt * 2 egg whites * 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions: 1) In a large bowl, pour water and soymilk. 2) Mix in instant yeast, baking soda, 2 cups of flour. 3) Allow to sit for 5 minutes. 4) In separate bowl, add egg whites. 5) Whip egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks. 6) With rubber spatula, fold in egg whites to dough batter. 7) Add 1/4 cup of flour. Mix. 8) Add salt. Mix. 9) Add in remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Mix. 10) Flour flat surface. Place dough onto flat surface. 11) Knead dough 5-6 minutes until dough is smooth. 12) In separate bowl, add olive oil. Place dough in bowl. 13) Turn dough until all sides are coated with oil. 14) Place bowl in warm area for 1 hour. 15) Put dough on floured flat surface. Roll dough to 1/2'' thick. 16) Rest dough for 5 minutes. 17) Evenly divide dough into 8 mounds. 18) With cookie sheet, line with plastic wrap and flour surface. 19) Roll each mound into a ball. Place onto cookie sheet. 20) Cover with plastic. Rest for 45 minutes. 21) Preheat frying pan/skillet over medium heat. 22) Flour the tops of each ball of dough. 23) With ball of dough in hands, flatten until 1/2" thick. 24) Place dough onto frying pan/skillet. 25) Fry for 3 minutes. Flip. 26) Fry second side for 3 minutes. Flip. 27) Fry first side for 3 minutes. Flip. 28) Fry second side for 3 minutes. Total cook time: 12 minutes. 29) Remove from pan. 30) Enjoy.

September 11, 2009
Tierrasanta Mexican Food

When my mother-in-law, Joyce, first introduced me to Tierrasanta Mexican Food in February of this year, it was tough not to gain a genuine appreciation for Tierrasanta Mex's authentic decor, friendly service, and delicious Mexican food. Since then, I have been waiting in anticipation for a chance to visit this restaurant again.

I ordered two items yesterday: the chimichanga and the pollo con mole for a take-out total of $23. I remembered that the very first time I tried both dishes, I was blown away by the flavors; this time around, I found both dishes to be quite a disappointment. On the plus side, the chimichanga was enormous, filled with a mix of shredded chicken and red sauce; however, the chimichanga did not have a distinctive flavor and was rather bland.

Ditto on the pollo con mole: a mass of shredded chicken sitting in a bed of tart mole sauce. For an outstanding mole, I'll accept bland chicken, but if both are lacking in flavor, it makes for a very tasteless meal. Sad to say, Tierrasanta Mexican Food is a hit-and-miss diner with very steep prices, and I will have to try this restaurant a third time to rule it out completely.

5950 Santo Rd, San Diego, CA 92124 858.277.3412  |  Su-Sa 11a-11p

September 9, 2009
Congee-NYC

If asked what my last meal would be in this lifetime, I'd have to say it would be, hands-down, at Congee in NYC. Not to be mistaken with Congee Village, this singly-named restaurant is synonymous with really good, salivation-inducing, lips-licking home-cooked dishes. Forget about the service, forget about the stained-glass decor lining its walls, the food is a stand-alone in the quality of flavors that produced a taste explosion to my palate. I salivate now thinking about the lunch I enjoyed here just a few weeks before.

Ever since New Shanghai in Kearny Mesa was replaced with Tajima, I have been in a desperate search for a Chinese restaurant that serves fresh fried bread. So when my order of fried bread came out of Congee's kitchen and was placed before me, I found myself physically and literally clapping, can you believe it?! Wow, the crispy outer shell encased an aromatic dough center that, when dipped into the small bowl of condensed milk syrup, was so delicious.

I gulfed down the sauteed vegetables: each fresh stem produced a crunch when bitten into, providing the perfect texture to its soft, sweet, garlic-enhanced leaves.

Dare I say it, the congee here is better than my mom's. Congee's porridge is infused with impactful flavors, is perfectly seasoned, and the texture of the rice in the very thick broth was absolute perfection. And the abalone and chicken? Tender and melted against the roof of my mouth. The food was so delicious that I can't stop thinking about it. It's absolutely maddening we don't have anything like this in San Diego.

98 Bowery, New York, NY 10013 212.965.5028  |  Su-Sa 10:30a-12a

September 6, 2009
Quick and Easy Beef Stew

I've been eating hot dogs, burgers, and pizza for the last few days, hoping that biting into some of New York City's iconic foods will keep memories of the city fresh in my mind. After days of chowing down on junk food, it was high-time for a home-cooked meal. From my mother's arsenal of recipes, beef stew is my absolute favorite, so I made it for dinner yesterday evening.

Mom adds pineapples to her stew, but lacking pineapples in my pantry, I added an apple. Being more than three-quarters water, the apple dissolved completely in the soup, providing a natural and subtle sweetener to the broth, as well as giving the stew a heartier consistency. The carrots and potatoes were soft and the broth was sweet and savory. The beef cubes were firmer than I'd like, probably because: I used a lean cut of beef, the stew required simmering for an additional hour, and lastly, the beef needed to be sliced into smaller cubes for a more tender result.

Ingredients- 2 servings * 3 pounds beef, cut into quarter-inch cubes * 1 Fresno sweet onion, diced * 1 leek, chopped * 4 carrots, peeled, sliced into half-inch pieces * 4 fingerling potatoes, sliced into half-inch pieces * 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth * 2 teaspoons olive oil * salt * fresh ground Tellicherry black pepper * 1 Gala apple, cored, peeled, thinly-sliced * 2 cloves garlic, whole

Directions: 1) In a large pot, add olive oil over medium heat. 2) When olive oil is hot, stir in onions. 3) Allow onions to break down, stir in leeks. 4) Allow leeks to break down, stir in beef. 5) Season with a dash of salt and pepper and stir. 6) When beef is partially cooked, add chicken broth and garlic. 7) Cover pot. 8) Allow broth to come to a boil, then add carrots and potatoes. 9) Reduce heat. Cover pot. 10) Allow broth to come to a boil. Add apple slices. 11) Stir broth. Cover pot for one hour. 12) Stir occasionally. 13) Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 14) Simmer on low heat for an hour. 15) Remove from heat. 16) Enjoy.

 

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