Afternoon stroll at Russian Hill

Recently I've been able to do a couple projects with Spottly, and just this week they opened up their new Submissions page with one my entries to kick it all off. Enjoy.

Achieving said "impossible"

For as long as I can remember there seems to be some daunting aura about the Souffle. That the success rate is equal to getting an acceptance letter from Harvard, a mere slight difference of key tone in your voice sends this gourmet mount Everest crumbling like my new years resolution to start eating less bacon.

Every time I see a parody or skit featuring a souffle they always deflate and the person attempting to perfect it falls into a frantic reaction of woe, but what of it? Isn't still edible and most importantly, delicious? I know the French have there standards but c'mon lighten up a little guys.

Figured I'd give this a go and see whether or not this puffed pastry will collapse if I make eye contact with it.

I WILL I OWN YOU.

Crap....Note to self don't raise your voice at sensitive deserts.

It's just a little frightened, it's still good!

Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

  

  Some of the most delicately soft and chewiest doughnuts I've ever have managed to have tried in my life. What impresses me is the lack of over the top sweetness you would expect from anything else that dons the title, yet you get something so wholesome it's mind boggling . Despite the sheer amount of quality that obviously goes into each and everyone of these, the result seems almost effortless in how good they actually are. One quick note to add, these babies don't come cheap, think 2-3 bucks a pop. But for me I see it as paying for the extra quality, that's well worth it in the end. Seriously I'm still thinking about them.

  On top of that they serve premo coffee, from Stumptown Coffee Roasters, to enjoy. I enjoy mine straight up black the way it should be when paired with sweet treats.

  -Maple Bacon- A good balance of salty & sweet, the bacon is crisp (which is a must). It surpasses virtually  every other maple bacon incarnate I've had around the So Cal area, but it's definitely not the Maple Bacon Bar over at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland (my undisputed #1). 

  -Huckleberry: Wonderfully potent in flavor, bright & rich without being to sweet. The acidic citrus bite from the berries provides a clean finish.

  -Vanilla Glaze Twist: I just basically got one of these because they just where just out of the oven and freshly glazed. Now I don't even care what variety you get, anything that comes fresh is like buttery melted gold in your mouth. Did I mention the glaze has real bits vanilla bean sprinkled about? Now I gotta say it's not so drastically different from any other good glaze twist I've had, taste-wise, but it's the wonderful texture that makes it so special. 

  I have found my happy place. 

270 E. 17th St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

 

One last hurrah in Los Angeles

With only a couple days to go, J. Kao and I head out for one last trip to LA to just chill and chow. For so long I was promised a Hong Kong style breakfast, yet much like a recent post, it wasn't until the end till I was finally taken out... but hey I can't complain, since I'll be having the real deal in few months. (WOOT) 

But damn was I shown what was up, as soon as we sat down we ended up getting the whole shebang (pretty much anyways). Being only two people between us, it's amazing at the fact that we had a single bowl left to go. But it was seriously not that hard to put in work on this spectacular feast, personally I love love love Chinese breakfast and this hit me right in the sweet spot. Thank you very much for giving me a preview.

(Photography only lasted up until the first bite, seriously, I forgot about everything else as soon as I dug in.) 

1.Pineapple Bun w/ Butter: No real melon included, it's just named after it's appearance. It's my personal favorite combination of slightly sweet bread and salty butter (magic). -

2. HK-style French Toast w/ peanut butter: It's as good as it sounds, straight up.

3. Fermented Egg Congee: There's something about this one that makes it so much better than others. Savory chicken broth perhaps?  

4. Chinese Churro w/ rice wrap and peanut sauce: Guilty pleasure, stretch pants not included.

5.Ham & Egg Sandwich: Bare bones in simplicity, but I find a certain charm about in how it reminds me about my younger days. I'm told this a traditional thing for the old men to snack on before they go out to spend their days playing Mahjong  

6. Horlick: Not as sweet as I was expecting to be but incredibly refreshing and a pleasant palate cleanser. 

7. Ovaltine: J. Kao's personal favorite drink growing up.

After a brief interlude through downtown, what could a trip here be without visiting our favorite watering-hole, Handsome Coffee Roasters? See that simple menu, love it! The fine print makes it sound pretentious,
but it keeps the Starbucks crowd out. 

After deciding to stay local we ended up with the mega cravings for noodles, and since the ever-so-popular Daikokuya, is always packed we gave a quick search on yelp only to discover an equally intriguing spot only a few doors down. 

Being the group that we are, this cordial dinner turned into another veritable feast! Bowls and tempura for days, some of the notable side orders where the deep fried egg (possibly duck) which carried a deep yellow yolk, soo good. Among all the other bowls, the highest of recommendations can go the Uni Udon! So magnificently rich and decadent, that it has actual (generous I might add) chunks of tasty sea urchin floating about on ever bite. As a friend would put it, it looked like a hundred sea urchins died to make that dish, I have no shame. 

What's amazing is the lack of notoriety this place even gets! Half the people in here look like stragglers who didn't want to wait an hour plus over at Daikokuya and decided to compromise on the "other noodle place". But unbeknownst to their know, their about to get the rug pulled from underneath them. No matter tho, let all the attention go the hype machine and I'll just continue strolling in with only a few minutes wait. Haha

With our conquest of gluttony a success, the only thing left is one last drive through downtown and enjoy the lit up skyline as we say good bye one more time.  

Delicious Food Corner

2327 S Garfield Ave

Monterey Park, CA 91754

Marugame Monzo

329 E 1st St

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Portland Day 3- Go with the flow

  It's my last day here and I wake up with the realization that I really don't have that much left to do in this city, all of the must does where officially checked off, and all of the recommendations where seen. It wasn't until breakfast till a hostel mate said "Just go out for a run, it's what this city does". After much contemplation, whether or not forsake my (foot) arches & go run in Vans, I decided to go out and brave the popular Willamette River Loop.


  Now for those who love to run, you understand the zen calm you get when you fully take in your surrounds and appreciate little that you never noticed before. My time alongside this river path was highlighted by the passing industrial section  on the north side of the trail path and dodging very agitated geese. But of course nothing could beat the absolutely befuddled expressions on some of the joggers faces. Like I said, this is a city of runners (Nike was born here for Christ's sake) and I was the only schmuck on this trail without running shoes. The amount of concern on one guys face was if he was saying "PLEASE STOP, HERE TAKE MINE". Even the some hipsters I sped by where wondering "why are you even wearing those", but hey I had run off a case of doughnuts somehow.

  Everything else afterwards was picking a point and walk from there, I really had no idea what I was even going for. I ended up on the outer rims of town (the financial & university district) where I encountered a plethora of talented musicians, gorgeous city parks, Keller Fountain Park in particular just captivated me into just sitting down and meditate for an hour. After much roaming across the day I was able discover the somewhat luxurious feeling of having a coffee & cigarette, hipster achievement succeeded.

  By the time I came back there was an impromptu vegetarian potluck brewing. After a quick trip to the market, we where all in the kitchen making or pouring our contribution, where we later made our way out to our little patio. Some of the featured dishes was a Pesto Gnocchi pasta, Beet & Goat cheese spread, citrus kale & walnut salad, and Chevre baked tomatoes provided by yours truly (recipe coming soon). Naturally a congregation of this size, brings in more people and even more contributions. 

After what was once a quiet dinner, turned into a rally for a pub crawl where it inevitably turned into an all nighter of smoke, even more street musicians, and a conquering of a near by park where tunes & random stories where swapped. What a way to close it out, just wish I had more than 30 minutes to catch my bus when I woke up the following day, I've never packed my bags with such speed before. Haha 

I don't anything else I've come to appreciate after today about the fact that not everything should come planned, just take it as it goes. And that it's not necessarily the city that makes the trip but the people you meet. 

Keller Fountain Park

SW 3rd Ave & Clay St

Portland, OR 97255

-Photo Credit to Mariana Rego 

Vitaly

I came here knowing that there's a new cafe in the OC area that has an awesome ambiance, great coffee served at rates that wont make you flinch. That and I finally get to field test my new camera (Lumix GF3)!!!!!!
Looking around  tend to notice that it's not only just a cafe, but also a casual little eatery that serves up an enticing array  of soups, sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie! On top of all of that they have an amazing array of gelatos and pastries. 

One thing that I tended to notice was that despite all of it's modern appeal, it tends to carry an old world feel.   I can't quite put my finger on it but I get the same I vibe that I feel when I visit an traditional shop such as Claro's over in Tustin.
The thing to be wary here is that it gets pretty crowded, so always be on the lookout for a free spot, otherwise lounge around The Camp and it's laid back scenery.   

2937 Bristol St

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(Located inside The Camp)

The Gypsy Den

A little hipster spot wedged in the corner of Downtown Santa Ana, I couldn’t help but stop by after passing by this place sooo many times whenever I come by to bar hop. First impression, rustic, chic, trendy. Visually I’m already hooked with all the local art and carpets on display plus I couldn’t help chuckle when I noticed the “Friends don’t let friends go to Starbucks” sticker on the pastry case.

-Hibiscus Arnold Palmer: Super tangy, but you get the sweet tartness of the lemonade. (reminiscent to the Jamaica beverage) Tasty but not sure if this drink made me pucker too much. I’ll let you decide.

- Mediterranean Plate: A plethora of Greek anti-pasti (I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say those two words combined), you get a little bit of everything to share with your friends. My only qualms was that there was a scarcity of olives plus an inclusion of dolamathes would be nice, but I can be a bit of a greedy fat-ass like that.

- Curry Cashew Chicken: Yummy overall but it wasn’t entirely on point, my taste-buds had to actually “look” for the curry. Although it it ain’t far to compare, I believe the Curry Chicken Sandwich over at C’est Si Bon is far superior and having that first is kinda making me a snob about it.

- Brunch Burger: Yummerz instantly strikes the mind when I think about this unique sandwich. Turkey patty, fried egg, provolone, tomato, lettuce and mayo on an onion bagel, now let that stew in your mind for a bit. Little things about this burger take to my happy place, like the slightly runny yolk marries with the turkey juices in on my tongue. (heavenly choir echoes)

- Mayan Mocha: I’m not a much of a  sweet coffee drinks guy by any stretch of the imagination, that Starbucks phase has long since past by, but this hot delight just converted me back! When I hear “Mayan”, deep earthy flavors from many spices come mind. Although this drink might not taste as strong as I describe it, it’s still a perfect balance of rich flavors with an even richer house-made whip cream floating atop. This is a must try and my new pleasure.

125 N Broadway

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Cream Pan

We all, hopefully, have that local bakery that serves great coffee. An establishment where you can sit down and enjoy yourself, or in the company of others, for an hour or two. This one is mine. 

Jamie and I have started to frequent here more often for the past several weeks, as her warm up for the cafe's she'll be visiting in Paris (envious).

But we've been coming here for years, regardless of the practice needed for Europe, because it's just that good. What got us and anyone else hooked to this place is their legendary Strawberry Croissants. Simply put, it has a flaky little buttery crust that oozes sweet cream and strawberries with every bite that makes your mouth project thoughts of a golden choir between bites.

Putting the star attraction to side, you got to respect every single one of their sweet and savory confections ranging from their equally good Azuki Cream Puff all the way over to their Chicken Curry Pan & Soki Soba Sandwich.

As for their coffee's they keep in simple and modest, none of those 5 word concoctions you see at Starbucks. It's simple, tasty, and soul warming. You can never go wrong with a Cafe Au Lait.

602 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780

Handsome Coffee Roasters

Sadly I’m rather disappointed with the large amount of detractors who harshly complain about the lack of sugar. This place is grounded on the idea that coffee should be respected and there for shouldn’t be tampered with, so that you can actually taste what it’s all about. Yes, it is bit pretentious, but these people have really gone out to source quality beans and brew them in such a way that you can get the full experience (take a look at the profiles of the roasters on the website, you’re actually in pretty good hands). Besides would you drown good scotch in coke?

As much as one would deny, if any, this is in fact a hipster joint. Located in the middle of a bunch of warehouses in the artists district, where you almost have to be “in the know” to find this place, just screams it. But once found, you come to appreciate the chic minimalism while noticing the undoubtedly handsome roasters that gives it the name. 

Their variety is simple and to the point, much like their drinks. You have an option 3oz, 5oz, or 10oz cups. Yes, there is no sugar here, but that’s what I love, I’m able to get the full heavy profile in every sip. I can’t say I’m an experienced coffee drinker just yet, but I’ve had my fair share of some quality blends (Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, Philz), and this place serves some of the best I’ve had (I plan my days around here whenever I’m in town). 

If you’re hungry,  Egg Slut is typically parked just outside and they have an awesome agreement with HR to let you eat in. Craving those sweets? Bread Lounge down the street has got you covered. What few things can compare to the combination of a cup of coffee & a pastry?  

So yes, this place is not what you are used to but I honestly hope that you can sit down and give this a chance, it’ll charm the pants right off you (figuratively speaking). 

And just to reiterate that’s stated above, suck it up or go to Starbucks, they have all the sugar and non-dairy milk you want.

-Photos courtesy of J Kao

582 Mateo St

Los Angeles, CA 90013