Bye Bye Tiger, Hello Rabbit :: 2010 in Review

Last meal of 2009/First meal of 2010 ::  Kamakura Ramen, Shibuya

 Bun Bo Hue in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Fell in love with dagashi, old school Japanese candy.

Ate lots of burgers.  

Had my final Japanese school lunch. 

Ate Okonomiyaki in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. 

Had my first hanami party in Shinjuku Gyoen. 

Escaped Tokyo and ate wild greens from the mountains of Saitama. 

Went home to the Bay Area twice. Ate lots of Monte Cristos and established myself as a regular at Mama's even though I don't live in SF. 

Cut my throat on some delicious and ambitious bacon in Inverness, CA 

Flying solo with Vietnamese cooking. I still prefer my mom's cooking, but I'm improving. 

Spent too much money on fancy food. Some good. Some not so good. 

Made an awesome cake for Blammo's birthday. 

Enjoyed Yokote Yakisoba at the Super Genki Festival in Tokyo. 

Survived one of the hottest summers in Japan with shaved ice, ice cream and soft cream. 

 Checked out all that Hong Kong has to offer. (And 30 minutes of Macao) 

Whoopied it up in Pennsylvania. 

Went to a lot of weddings. 

New York, New York! 

After 22 bread classes, I'm getting pretty good at making mushy pan!

Really missing my friends and family but glad to know that they have my back when I need them most. 

My first nabe.

And my first Japanese birthday cake. I should mention here that I am also thankful for the friends I have made in Japan and am happy to know that they too, have my back when I need it most. 

Joanne Chang - I love you!

Finally found a sushi restaurant that is high quality and foreigner friendly in a non-pandering way. 

Finally went to karaoke.

Hopefully, started a new tradition. 

It's been a long year. I think I need a nap.

World Cup Treats

Once Mama's was knocked off my list, I moved on quickly to my (very close) second favorite SF establishment, Tartine. The line at Tartine actually isn't that bad. It moves quickly and there's lots to oggle at while you're standing around. Delicious buttery treats, inventive sandwiches, inappropriate morning cleavage and wannabes rolling their own cigarettes.

Thankfully my sister lives just down the street from the bakery (LUCKY GIRL) so we loaded up on some pastries and headed home for some World Cup soccer. Can it get any better?

The answer is an emphatic "FUCK YEAH!". How about a day in Inverness, CA with your best college gal pals? OK! My trip fortuitously coincided with my girlfriends' summer vacation week in Inverness, a mere 2 hours from my hometown. I trucked up to their rental early for breakfast and some USA soccer. It was the perfect day minus 3 things: 

1. The US lost. 

2. I cut my throat on an ambitious but delicious bacon pancake sandwich. 

3. It had to end. 

I mean, c'mon...we made peanut butter s'mores!!! And friendship bracelets!!!

Next?  The next morning, my cousin and her German husband came over bright and early to watch Germany embarrass England. My cousin was too nervous to watch so she whipped up fresh berry and peach crepes for everyone. This was a lovely start to a family BBQ day starring 30lbs of kalbi, ice cream, kimchi burgers and homemade apple pie.

Germany plays Spain today. Honestly, I like both teams but am CLEARLY rooting for Der Mannschaft.  What will I be eating? Considering the game is on at 3am in Japan...I'm just not sure but I do have one last piece of Baumkuchen in the fridge waiting to be eaten when Germany wins the World Cup!

Mama's :: The Real San Francisco Treat

After being held hostage by United at Narita Airport for 10 hours, a cancelled flight and another 8 hours in economy, what's the first thing this girl wants to do when she lands in SF? Go to Mama's for breakfast! Mama's On Washington Square is one of the places in SF I am willing to wait in line for. The proprietors are classic Bay Area friendly and even if they were giants A-Holes, the food is good enough to get me to come back time after time.

At this point, I don't even bother looking at the menu. If I only have 1 shot at breakfast at Mama's, it's gotta be the Monte Cristo. I have to admit, I've actually never even had a Monte Cristo anywhere but here, but I don't even think I'd order it anywhere else. When at brunch or breakfast, I always struggle with the personality defining question of sweet or savory? I like to think of myself of a little of both, which is why I love this dish so much. 

Of course, there are other wonderful things on the menu, but I leave those for my dining mates. The wait is only slightly annoying, but that's not anyone's fault but our own I guess. I have to add that even celebrities are required to wait in line. A few years ago, we saw Famke Janssen waiting in line with her adorable dog - no cutsies for her. She's gotta wait for her Eggs Florentine just like the rest of us. If she can do it, so can you! If you're REALLY starving, head across the street to the focaccia shop and grab some bread to snack on (the pizza one is the best) but don't spoil your appetite. You're gonna want to save that for Mama's. 

*BTW, how cute is Famke's outfit in that pic?! "SO kewt" is the answer. 

San Francisco Treat

I'm back in the Bay Area for two weeks and while my stomach seems to want to take a break from all the eating, I'm just not sure that's going to happen. Sorry belly. College friends were in town and here is what we hit up:

• Out The Door @ The Ferry Building
• Yogurt Castle in Walnut Creek
• Judy's on Chestnut
• SPQR on Fillmore
• Tartine Cafe
• Bi-Rite Ice Cream
  
• Bacon Donuts from Dynamo Donuts
  

I'd say my favorite meal was definitely Tartine. Their bread in combination with locally sourced cheese and spreads equals ultimate goodness. To be honest, I was disappointed by SPQR. I've heard such amazing things from my SF friends but it just didn't WOW me. The antipasti were very good but the pasta was just so-so. I love salty food, but this was just too much. I really have no right to make this judgement, but with all the phenomenal modern and classic Italian in New York, I'm not so sure Nate Appleman can make a splash. Maybe I'd be singing a different tune had I tried the fresh sheets of pasta with pesto, but unfortunately, they ran out of pesto by the time we ordered. Sad face.