Restaurant WK @ BarBao!...

So...hands down, best Vietnamese food is in Orange County. I've tried really hard to debunk this (including in San Jose/SF, Wash DC, Boston, and NYC--granted I haven't been to TX yet where I guess mah peoplez congregate). We just have more *types* of Vietnamese cuisine across the board--northern, Hue, blah di blah blah and the innumerable seasonal and artisanal (ish) dishes. BUT ANYWAY....

Can we start with dessert? cuz it's pretty? and it's my blog and i'll do as i damn well please!! :)

THE FLAN!! OH! That saved the DAY!!! I love me some flan--some other countries' versions are usually a little more jiggly, or more custardy, ours is a little firmer--but this one is a nice balance. AND it has a little coconut foam on it! ^_^ Sweet little surprise! ALso came with gingko nuts and i think dates but...like our version o fit. IT reminds me of this drink we have with longans, the gingko nuts, some julienne seaweed, sometimes with a little coconut milk, and little cubes of agar/grass jelly. I *never* would've thought those two flavors would go together. YUM!!! Lovin' that foam!

Gary got the Vietnamese bread pudding--whatever the hell that is, haha. But it, was interesting enough. Good texture, nice ice cream on top--and they had the candied fruits that I remember them usualy serving on Lunar New Years. I for the life of me cannot recall what they're called in English with most of what I know the foods to be in Vietnamese--so everytime I eat out at a new "fusion" or haute-cuisine-y place it's like unjumbling a puzzle and saying OH!! so THAT's what that is! :)

I've eaten at Bun and Baoguette (2 Michael "Bao" Huynh enterprises) and u know, it suffices for swanking it up to be upscale with wagyu beef in the Pho, berkeshire pork belly w/ the vermicelli noodles, the frog legs, the blah di blah blah with a lot of "enhancements" while retaining as much of the Vietnamese quintessence. I've eaten some stuff in Chinatown here and it works. We're big on our sauces, our flavors--they're strong, distinctive, crisp, not muddled etc, lots of respect for each individual ingredient and taste. Anyhoodle....we'll get back to how this is relevant.

I had the tiger shrimp carpaccio with shaved fennel and sprouts (a version of this is in the regular menu too, also recommended in the NYtimes review by Bruni). YUM YUM FISH SAAAAAUCE!! WOOHOO!!

Strangely enough--FENNEL...works really well with fish sauce! That light citrusy, licoricey flavor and the diluted "dipping" sauce or "nuoc cham" as it's now been relegated to be (even tho the real name is "nuoc mam pha" which really just translates to diluted fish sauce--but u know, with garlic, lime juice, usually some chili, and a little vinegar). YUP!! FISH SAUCE!! :) not olive oil. TEEHEE!! made me so happy--and the sauce was done right :D However, the tiger shrimp was a little tough--i dunno i thought it would be more crudo than cooked, chewy shrimp. still yum enough with a diff kind of "goi" or salad/shreeded cabbage/frisee/greens kinda thing.

Gary had the Mekong soup...whichebbs--i don't remember the name they assigned it, but for you cognoscenti (mainly just if u're Vietnamese really :P) it's canh chua ca thi la....minus the dill, some other veggies, and tilapia. tolerable form. a little lemongrassy, had some bean sprouts, two puny shrimp, tomatoes. Flavors still on point YAY. quantity of stuff and authenticity not so much. I mean look at it. I didn't even want to try to take any more pictures it just wasn't doing much for me. BUT--the flavors still were strong and all there and admittably tasty. Just disappointing the "girth" of the soup if u will.

ENTREES!! I wanted the Wild Boar Ragout--we like our ragouts to be honest, and with a little french baguette and some braised pork so tender it just falls to pieces at the prodding of a fork. UNFORTUNATELY, they were out :( *tear*. So i went with the frickin ' fish since Gary was already gonna take the Grilled sirloin with carmelized onions etc.

So Gary's grilled sirloin, which is just really "bo luc lac"...which honestly i dont' really know the etymology, but it's sorta close to meaning "beef shaken about"--but it's just cubes of really good beef well sauteed in lotsa butter sometimes a little rare with some vinegar, salt & pepper with some onions. THIS ONE...was DAMN GOOD--like lick each finger eat it wih my hands screw the rice that came with it kinda good. It's been a while since I've had good "bo luc lac" :)

Anyway--honestly, i really like red meat. I was trying to go on a limb with the mackerel @ Convivio, and I really didn't want to eat more fish and honestly i don't even remember what the fish was b/c i didn't really want to, it wasn't memorable and frankly, disappointing even just as a fish dish. Sea bass? Cod? Catfish? i wanna say catfish...but i doubt it since BarBao probably wants to swank it up more. Perfectly cooked technique-wise, really--moist, flakey, but bland underseasonsed and far from stellar.

AND THE PLATING!! WHAT the EFF?!?! brown, brown, grey, dark brown, dark grey, pale pieces of mushroom--from the looks of it when it came out, I thought the skin of the fish--or that side of it rather would've been seared a little more to be a little crispy or almost tender crust-like, followed with heavenly soft and fluffly fish with a little ginger kick maybe with the brown sauce, and i thought the chanterelle (?) mushrooms were the yellowy pickled sliced asparagus that usually comes with it--kinda like in the "ca kho to" or the claypot stuff that they also serve there--at Pho So 1 on Mott St it's pretty damn good. great sauce.

*sigh*. Really anticlimactic and buzzkill of the night--i was really excited after the soup and the tiger shrimp carpaccio (more for the essence of Vietnamese flavors in these very recognizable dishes presented in a new way, more so than total execution).


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...so that's it really. Seldom do I write this much--but hot damn if i go quiet on Vietnamese food if I can help it :)

BTW--all the Bao endeavors I have to say are a huge upgrade from Viet Cafe in Tribeca--swank with the most muddle and lacking Vietnamese flavors and intensity ever, I don't even know why they call themselves a Vietnamese Restaurant even tho the people who own the Vietnamese gallery next door and their shar-peis are absolutely fantastic :) Honestly tho--I can see how upgrading some of the ingredients really do up our cuisine well while maintaining the integrity of the food but...for what it is--Bar Bao is a little pricey, but I'd def go back for the cuttlefish and other stuff. I'm more pleased with their adventurous side more so than their dressing up old faves. If u're gonna change a good thing, make it notable and new! like that damn flan! even if it's just a reinvention w/ familiar flavors ^_^

That's all. I've eaten enough. Italy pics--those are next I promise....b/c I have to redeem my suffering photography and compensating for lighting skills lately. =/ *sigh*.

Restaurant WK @ Convivio!...

A little in the boonies side of midtown east--sammiched between some hard core old residential buildings, aptly named Tudor City Place... :) Overall? Decor is a little bipolar in warmth/woodsy, soft and a little cold gray. Food--a little on the pricey side but split a few things and u're good to go--pastas, anything braised is AWESOME. fish is eh. duck eh. go for more sumptious ingredients and u can't go wrong :)

Appetizers! There were 4 of us so we got the Sfizi (pickled things), the Pane Cotta (bread soup with pancetta, buffalo ricotta, blahblah),

and 2 of the Duck Sausage over lentils...

First Plates! Again, we divied it up nicely :P Karen insisted on finding out about Convivio's infamous handmade pastas--sauce was GREAT...same kind of rustic, fresh, light and creamy feel as Pisticci's (yes, my measuring stick per se!), and the texture of the spaghetti was also good.

I got the mackerel but I was torn with the pork shoulder--but Roger and Albee got it so i figured EH...why not round it out :) I was drawn to it mostly for the mustard-caper sauce since I *lurves* me some capers!! The sauce did not fail--the fish was EH, but the sauce and potatoes/salad underneat was a nice touch. :)

Braised pork shoulder w/ soft polenta was *yummaaaaay!* That's yummy in a crescendoed high pitched tone if u couldn't tell! So tender, well seasoned--polena much better than i thought! Creamy, rich, not so gritty as I anticipated. Lick the plate kinda tasty! Maybe rub polenta on my face a little in circular motions like a crazy olive oil drenched moisturizer. MmmmMmmm.....*ahem*. ;)

Desserts were WHATEVER. the Chocolate gelato that came with my cannolis were good--except the cannolis weren't all that extraordinary though it had a little citrusy top note to it. The affogato was sufficient--it's a shot of espresso over gelato, and after having it done right in Italy well...no comparison :)

The VERY AWESOME thing was that we got a $25 gift card off our next meal!! Recession special/restaurant week gimmick if u will...I don't care, I'm def coming back to try the grilled octopus, the gnocchetti, and tortelli with crab meat and sea urchin!!

NEVER MIND my lighting. I'm having some off problems eyeballing lately :( Esp in unnatural light. *bah!* :) Enjoy--I promise to put up italy food pictures from...3 mos ago soon. It's like a trove of...orgasmically lit and fresh and...exciting food!! Bar Bao for Restaurant week also coming up...maybe Dovetail. EH.

Honey + Miso chicken...

I think my obsession with leeks has overtaken my obsession with brussel sprouts. >.<

Didn't wanna let the giant leek stalks go to waste so I thought I'd make some chicken out of it since I still had a ton of miso leftover (and tomatoes as u can tell). I made the same thing in CA for that giant post-xmas dinner w/ the famiglia except I used a honey miso soy sauce marinade/glaze. Ran out of soy sauce (incredible fail as an asian, I know!) but I still had my fish sauce HEHE!! Didn't do too much with the fish sauce tho except to season the leeks b/f i dropped in the chicken.

we also had some salad--the dressing was sesame whatever mixed with the juices from when i sauteed my spinach in garlic with some tomatoes and fish sauce (not shown). YUMMAAAAY!

Again, I don't...really...measure much when I cook. It's just straight eyeballin' and in my head so..here it is!:

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Honey-miso marinaded chicken!...

1. cube chicken breasts (big chunks--1-2 inches?)
2. drizzle honey over it--just enough to splatter most of the chicken but not cover EVERY inch. drizzle like u would olive oil cruet.
3. 1 tablespoon-ish for every couple pieces of chicken breast...granted i kind of add as i go along, but i always mean to start with a generous tablespoon (heaping really).
4. massage that sh*t in! i like using my hands when i have to marinade with oils and meats--always feels really productive and visceral and connected to ur foods i feel...
5. saute garlic and leeks (and i threw an a$$load of leeks cut thin in there!) olive oil or butter (or if u will a combo of both to get the taste and...unsaturated goodness--btw i've been meaning to switch out of using olive oil b/c it's a heavy/flavored oil and the italians only dress with it and not actually cook anything in it and use sunflower seed oil insead but i haven't found the right alternative =/)
6. pour in the marinaded chicken (it doesn't need to sit too long to season the chicken bits) and let it cook on med high heat w/o turning it for about 1-2 min? then toss all around. throw in some tomatoes just towards the end so that it wrinkls and maybe chars the peel a little--then put a lid on the whole thing to let steam it thru--maybe 2 min like that?
   

Scallops + Soba noodles w/ sugar snap peas & cherry tomatoes in a yuzu miso honey vinaigrette!...

I made this for a post-xmas dinner for my fam in CA, and I've decided to do it for NYE dinner too :) So...onward!

This is the scallops--seared 1.5 min each side with nothign but salt & pepper...plus sauteed in butter with leeks and garlic. LOVE LEEKS!! My mom's pot for some reason--was pretty tough to get super hot--u know how u gauge that it's gonna brown your proteins w/ that sizzle, and apparent when u throw in the garlic and it browns pretty quickly. Couldn't get the same browning/carmelization but..whatebbers, still tastay! me likes scallops!

This is the soba noodles after I've tossed it with the yuzu miso honey vinaigrette plus blanched sugar snap peas and raw cherry tomatoes.

ANNNND...this is the vinaigrette!

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RECIPE to make the Honey-Yuzu vinaigrette (to serve about 6 or more really)...

1 cup yuzu juice (~5 oz)


2 heaping table spoons of miso sauce

3 tablespoons of honey

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of lime/lemon juice

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons olive oil (but I think sesame oil is the better way to go).

Tons of pepper, a smidge of salt--but if u like the savory from the miso then maybe nix the salt. I def didn't really like the olive oil in mine so I actually tried to split with 1/2 of it as sesame oil to compensate. Yuzu is pretty frickin' strong--granted the "juice" they provide is pretty...mixed in with a bit of other citrus juices and garlic etc so...eh.

---
So...I dunno wtf happened to my memory card but it seems to override images/naming convention so...i effed up on my xmas post :( it was bootiful. Jaime bought us a tree for the apt with quaint lil' ornaments etc--and we had purtay kate spade boxes wrapped all nice and presents that I wrapped myself with an embossed white parchment paper with a cherry tomato red wired ribbon double bowed and all. AND...we had Amadei hot chocolate with some Kahlua and Bailey's AND Jaime's gingerbread cookies!! >:( very displeased to have lost these images!! they were quintessential holiday pics!! boo!

preview of Kee's chocolates...

OMFG.
got an xmas gift: box of Kee's chocolates...ended up ordering a box of 12 to bring back to CA for the holidays--this is just a light smattering of...the silkiest, delicate/ephemeral, intoxicatingly complex flavored, hand rolled chocolates you'll find anywhere. Godiva/Lindt/et al. be damned! *shakes fist!*

not gonna tell you what these are just yet--or what I ordered...but with flavors like yuzu, kaffir lime, lemon basil, honey saffron, creme brulee, fennel, smoked salt, thai chili, cognac, elderflower, pistachio, black sesame, different teas, honey kumquat....i just realized that's A LOT of the menu I gave away :P

but she makes macaroons too!! So much for "preview"...

WELL...you'll just have to wait for the pictures of them half bitten! :)

Sorella!...

2 girls eat up Italy particularly Piemonte food and bring it back to the city! That's the concept behind Sorella on Allen b/w Broome & Delancey. Cute name. cute concept--it's pretty much how Karen and I felt after our little trip in October--except we ate the crap out of all of italy and were struck mostly by the modern Italian tastes of each regions (the homey, simple, rustic, pride of the land kinda dishes) and esp the modern emerging Italian cuisine at Pane e Vino in Florence and Il Satollo in Rome! [I PROMISE i'll post about these 2 soon--tied for 1st in favorite restaurants in the the 5 countries i've been to!]

It's a little hard to replicate the experiences and meals we had in Italy--so much gets lost across the AtlanticHad a little xmas dinner with Albee and grubbed up on the small plates.

We had the Hearst Ranch Beef Carpaccio with a parsley treviso sald, crosnes (apparently teeny artichoke like...'tubers'), and smoked salt. A little heavy I thought on the oil--but the smoked salt was badass.

We also had the Crispy Veal Sweetbread with a quince-bacon marmalade. I like the texture of the sweatbread--the breading's interesting. I don't have the mindset to really debunk what it comprises it at t he moment--the marmalade was a little like a variation of hoisin sauce I've seen used at some asian places...I still like/LOVE the Kefi sweetbreads better! Well cooked tho...

the best BESTEST was the Pate de Fagato: duck fat english muffin bread with chicken liver mousse, bacon, and a teeny little egg on it. Sounds heavy and artery-clogging but MY GOD very smooth, very subtle, and quite light. never mind my lighting! just look at that pate mousse!! so airy!

THENNNNN...we had the GNOCCHI!! Also one of my faves here! So light! So subtly rich! So smooth! The potato gnocchi so delicate and melty and subtle! Had some chives, roccaverano fresca cream sauce (heaven!--and light light light!) with brown butter pears--added a very nice light sweet contrast and harder texture to the whole thing. Seriously--best tasting and best cooked gnocchi I've ever had. I did not know...what gnocchi was supposed to be like...until this one. HAHA.

Needless to say we ate a lot.....a lot. Albee & I totally dug the Pate di Fegato the most--like...lick the plate clean if that was socially acceptable. But i did take a picture of our ravished gnocchi plate :P

Gnocchi was #2--but we did squeeze in dessert, and the Spiced Panna Cotta I have to say--just like what we liked about the Pate & Gnocchi--rich but subtle, smooth--melts in yo mouf! Perfect temperature and consistency...

I can't find the listing for dessert on the menu--but I remember the Spiced Panna Cotta having pomegranates, brown butter (methinks) pumpkin, pears, roasted pumpkin seeds...and a pretty damn hard crust on the bottom actually. Like--hard core stab and wiggle to break the crust/bottom. We REALLY worked that spoon. It wasn't as difficult to break down in your mouth but...i mean *damn*. Good flavors tho. Perfect little winter dessert feel :) WEEEE!!!

And then afterwards I went to drop off Karen's xmas gift nearby and she gave me Kee's chocolates. RICH RICH RICH just like Sorella's...(more intense actually)...but not so sweet over overwhelming either!! Just a less subtle, stimulating punch to the palate :)

Defintely...DEFINITELY coming back for the brussel sprouts from what I hear the barkeep says--he made really great recommendations and was a little chatterbox in the most amiable and natural sense :) Also got to chat w/ the chef a bit--lovely people who seem a little nervous but very proud of their venture :) Definitely transparent the thought and love that goes into plating, composition, and...ingredients and all! Some dishes weren't mindblowing but def above average esp for NY Italian fare. Anxious to also come back for the grilled quail and lamb ragu!

...BTW, the panna cotta--inn the chef's words--"It's like sex in your mouth!"...I'd have to say...it's more like really good making out sesh when you're a wee enamored teenage brat and the excitement lingers on warm flushed cheeks and twinkled eyes...u know, back in those uncorrupted days. ;)

That Pate di Fegato though...Albee said I was erm...having a sort of...."la petite mort" moment with it :)

brunchy-brunch-brunch @ French Roast...

I have no idea why but I really really like poached eggs. Other than that I love my eggs sunny side up for the most part--and when I was a wee lass in Viet Nam, my mom would soft-boil eggs for us before any big travel dates, sprinkle a little salt in there, stir it up and breakfast a-hoy!

ANYWAY...so I've taken a shining to eggs benedict mostly out of my adoration for poached egginess, and affection for smoked salmon as well.

And a weird curiosity as to what the big deal was with hollandaise sauce based on hearing about it in multiple movies back in the day. Yes--some obscure reference to hollandaise sauce or somebody screwin' up how to make it. Don't even remember which movie it was :)

Anyhoodlekins...I went to French Roast the other weekend w/ Julia for brunchy brunch brunch on the UWS. We initially were going to go to the Polar Rink by the American Museum of Natural History but well--let's just say it was a rough night so I opted for food.

I like French Roast for the most part--but the 'taters were greasy and bland (and...a strange color which I'm assuming is due to whatever...weird..possible chili oil they used but...it wasn't even spicy!). The english muffin the eggs benedict were on were a little on the paltry and far from hearty side--the hollandaise was a bit heavy, but the egg was poached to perfectionnnnn.

Julia got the salmon omelet with sweet potato puree. A little odd w/ sweet & savory--but I'd grub on that orange pile of mash any other day.

Not too sweet. Still a lot of texture as u can see with little yammy-spokes protruding from the pile :) I have to say tho--FR plating aesthetics not so hot. I want my food PRETTY!! Not slopped on and rushed out! "Rustic" plating...is only for the really good sh*t! :D

The other dish I like @ FR? The Salad Lyonaise (which I surmise isn't on the wkd menu--neither is the french onion soup WTF?!). What's in a salad lyonaise? POACHED EGGS. yes. on a bed of frisee, with some bacon bits, and bits of taters and other salady-goodness. including tomatoes. SUPER CLOSE UP TIME!

My fave place for eggs benedict--which you can get WITH spinach AND smoked salmon (woohoo!) is at Cafeteria. Brunch here of course is notoriously...crowded. BUT SO TASTY. esp the mac & cheese with smoked gouda and bacon. Everything just tastes cleaner and healthier and leaner yet heartier there. Not that much more expensive either.

Ippudo w/ Mama Ly!...

Thanksgiving w/ Mama Ly in the city --> Ippudo, Pommes Frittes, Ronnybrook Milk Bar, Chelsea Market, Amy's Bread, and...some cooking but for now...more pics of the porkiness that I love esp with the coming brisk winter days/nights!

Pork belly bun.

Akamaru Shin-aji ramen.

YUM YUM YUM.

Kampuchea Catfish Sammich!...

I met up with the girls after an NYurban vball league game @ Karen's (when we had made beignets and apple tarte tartins) so I was STARVED and feeling portable foods. Claudz took me to Kampuchea on Rivington & Allen. She had raved about the sammiches particularly the Ginger-rubbed catfish.

I was torn between that, the Hoison Pork sammich, and The Kampuchea sammich (with headcheese terrine)...but something about the cleaner finish of fish and the prospect of honey/peppercorn/ginger just grabbed me. It was a pretty big friggin' sandwhich and they definitely weren't stingy with the catfish. The sauce and the way all the flavors came together was subtle, a little sweet with a little heat from the peppercorns but just overall quite quite pleasant. It was an unbutton ur pants kinda filling and satisfaction :)

What pissed me off a bit was that it was $12 bucks. REALLY?! with tax it came to be about $14. -.- The girls told me it used to be like 9 bucks when it just opened and then they ramped it up. Granted it's a nice restaurant and the portions are nice from what I saw of their noodle dishes as well. Everything's fresh and the quality of the food fares well but just...does not justify the price jacking.

So it's supposed to be Cambodian food but obvy very much like the Vietnamese sandwiches. I ate a Catfish sandwich with Dave @ Baoguette (a Vietnamese sandwich place that recently opened up on 25th and Lex) which was $7 and though the texture of the fish was subpar compared to Kampuchea's...flavor, fixin's, and overall experience is just as good though less exciting.

GIVEN the name, I couldn't help but think maybe it was a Michael Bao endeavor...AND IT WAS! :) I thought maybe it would've been a little more elevated like Bun (Grand & Crosby) but I'd be happy to have something closer to Chelsea with reasonable enough pricing and taste. I did enjoy Bun tho--i haven't had certain things in the city or a few places that had the same flavors as back in CA or the way my mom made it. The butterd frog legs were...effin' AWESOME. that's for another post...

Amy's Bread & Ronnybrook Farm Milk Bar!...

Part of turkey day brunch avec Mama Ly in the city. Ate @ Chelsea Market (on 16th and 9th ave) since Momofuku Milk Bar was only open for pickup! :( Then got groceries (pancetta, porchetta, olive/black truffle tapanade etc etc) to make Turkey day dinner & grubbage for the drive down to DC the next day...

And yes, they quoted There Will Be Blood below.... heheheheeh

Eggs Kaush..something. Eggs in casserole! like at Viceroy (18th & 8th ave) and Relish (North 3rd & Wythe in Williamsburg). Came with roased potatoes w/ pepper & chives.

I swear though...somethign about poached eggs...i'm still fixated with them...

Mama Ly got the free range roast chicken w/ what looks like fresh mozarella, tomatoes, and a salad with really good vinaigrette!

Apparently it's diff from what the menu says (some kinda...cheddar. WHATEBBS). it was tasty. organic and all that ish but all that matters was that it tasted fresh and was prepped quite well yaaaaay.

The Ronnybrook Farm chocolate milk is whole milk but INFINITELY "thinner" and cleaner taste than most chocolate milk--even the chocolate soy milk. No aftertaste, no...lactose-y...intolerance...harshness. Tastier than Horizon Organic Chocolate milk (omg did i...did i blaspheme? HA!! HOCM def pales in comparison exponentially...and i once thought very highly of it. esp when buying it in bulk @ costco :D or whole food's :))

That said...Mama Ly's hot chocolate was also damn festive and good...

And to end with: almond buttered toast from Amy's Bread. Very soft--brioche-y kind of bread, subtle almond paste (not crazy sweet like how the Sicilians prefer it!--sweeter than Almondine)...