Bites on Broadway

Finally! Food trucks are coming to the East Bay, Oakland to be exact. I follow a handful of food trucks in Facebook but it looks like they are always in Emeryville. Cupkates is the only one that goes to Oakland pretty often but I can only have enough cupcakes in a week. Fivetenburger usually swings by at night time close to bars which doesn't really work for me. Off the Grid just started to serve Berkeley on Wednesday nights which is pretty amazing. One thing is for sure, You can pretty much get your food truck fix any day of the week. With all the food trucks popping up pretty quick, I wonder how quick this hype would last. How many food trucks can the Bay Area really handle? For now, my goal is to make the most out of this. Enjoy what these talented people have created and taste the different flavors each truck has to offer.

Bites on Broadway is Oakland's answer to Off the Grid. It's a Friday night street food event  along 45th and Broadway in Oakland. I got excited when I heard about this event mainly because I live in Alameda and it's close to where I work. Second is because I love to check out what these new food trucks have to offer. It's no Off the Grid. They don't serve wine and alcohol at the moment and there's no live music yet. It's pretty much a laid back, get your food and sit on the grass kind of thing. Vendors include: 51st state, Fist of Flour, Cholita Linda, Sue's Sassy Pies, El Taco bike, Nick's Wheely Good Breakfast, etc.

51st state Brunswick stew just sounds so goood!

I heard about 51st state and their Brunswick stew but unfortunately they were sold out that time. Cholita Linda is pretty much everywhere. They are at the Jack London and Downtown Oakland Farmer's markets. They serve Baja fish tacos and Carnitas(Slow Roasted Pork) Tacos which is pretty good. Sassy Pies was letting people try their pies and it's not bad.They have the Chicken Pot Pie with bacon on a sage cream which is amazing.

Cholita Linda's menu



Trio of Tacos



Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Cheddar biscuit sandwich with bacon, arugula and aioli from Nick's Wheely Good Breakfast

 I can't wait to see how this weekly event unfolds and to try more exciting dishes out of these mobile food vendors.

Japadog at home

Japadog is taking over world, well at least in Vancouver. People have been raving about this dog in Canada. It's an average of at least 30 minutes of waiting in line from these food stands to satisfy your half American half Japanese dog fix. It's basically a hot dog with Japanese toppings which includes Nori(roasted seaweed) Furikake(dried fish flakes), wasabi mayo and some teriyaki sauce. Based from their website, they'll be conquering the US this year. I know What's up Dog here in SF has their own version. Hapadog in the Philippines has their own take on this Japadog too. Just watching the video of Hapadog makes me wanna go to the Philippines and try it but since I can't I made my own version of what I think a Japadog is.

I first toasted my hot dog bun. I made a wasabi mayo. Basically it's just mayo with wasabi and a little bit of cracked black pepper. Kewpie mayo which is the Japanese sweet mayo would be great on this too. I boiled my hot dog so it's "healthier".

I toasted some panko breadcrumbs for about 3 minutes. I got some roasted seaweed from Trader Joes. I chopped it and mixed it with the toasted panko crumbs. You're going to have some leftover seaweed panko which you can mix later on with your garlic rice if you want. Then once I've topped the dog with the seaweed panko mixture, I added some teriyaki sauce. Instead of teriyaki sauce, I tried just glazing it also with honey and it turned out really good.

I guess this is the closest thing to the real Japadog. It's not the same but it's damn good!!! The sweetness of the honey and saltiness of the seaweed works well plus the wasabi mayo gives it a real kick. This is definitely a delicious way of eating your traditional hot dog. Next time I'll try the Hapadog way which is dipping the hot dog on a tempura batter and deep frying it. In the meantime I'll go with this "healthier" version!

Kahlua Short ribs

This recipe is super easy to make. I didn't even have to sear the meat. I just placed everything in a baking dish, put it in the oven and 2 1/2 hours later you'll get a tender and caramelized short ribs for dinner. This dish is kinda sweet because of the Kahlua and it's really tasty. Here's how I did it..

What you'll need:

2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs
About 1 cup of Kahlua (coffee liquor)
1/4 cup of water
3 dried bay leaves
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
1 tbsp. of chopped garlic
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1. Place the short ribs in a baking dish and make sure they are all layered evenly.
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Add Kahlua until it reaches halfway through the meat. Add water, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns. Make sure they are evenly distributed.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. Flip the meat when you hit an hour and spoon some juices on top of the meat.  
5. Increase the heat to 400 degrees. Take the foil out. Spoon some juices on to the meat and let the meat caramelize inside the oven for another 30 minutes.

Enjoy with some steamed rice. I made my dish with some arugula, roasted cumin carrots and shaved raw carrots.

Dine about town picks for 2011

Dine about town is here in SF again. This happens twice a year, one in January and one in June. It's a 2 week food fest where diners can enjoy a 2 course lunch for $17.95 and a 3 course dinner for $34.95 from SF's top restaurants. I've been participating at this event for 2 years now. This is basically your chance to sample and taste what the restaurant has to offer especially if it's on the expensive side. Last year, Ruth's Chris did this and they offered their rib eye steak which usually costs about $30 by itself. Now they are back but it seems like they are offering the Filet Mignon with chicken breast and shrimp or their fresh fish.

Here are my top picks for this year.

Chaya

Dinner

First Course

Wild Arugula, Fennel & Blood Orange Salad

Parmigiano-Regggiano, Pine nuts, Orange Olive Oil

or

Shrimp Tempura Roll & Radish Salad

Avocado, Tobiko, Cucumber, Kaieare, Yamagobo

Second Course

Pan-Roasted Local Petrel Sole

Potato Fondant, Brussels sprouts, Forest Mushrooms, Lobster Vinaigrette

or

Grilled Black Angus Flat Iron Steak

Potato Puree, French Beans, Salsa Verde

Third Course

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

or

French Apple Tart

Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream

Chez Papa Bistrot

Lunch

First Course

Soup du Jour

or

Butter lettuce salad, mustard, shallot vinaigrette

or

Anson Mills semoule, roasted chanterelle mushrooms, truffle oil, cypress hills goat cheese

Second Course

Salade Nicoise, rose pepper crusted ahi tuna, citrus-thyme vinaigrette

or

Pan roasted chicken breast with haricot vert, lardon, white corn, whole grain mustard jus

or

Mussels "Provencale", garlic, shallots, cherry tomato, nicoise olive, Pastis

Dinner

First Course

Mussels any style (recommended with french fries)

or

Lyonnaise salad, farm fresh poached egg, bacon, smoked duck, sherry vinaigrette

or

Grilled local sardines, fresh chick pea salad, parsnip chips, pistou coulis 

or

Anson Mills semoule, roasted chanterelle mushrooms, truffle oil, cypress hills goat cheese

Second Course

Bouillabaisse, black cod, clams, mussels, prawns, bay scallops, fingerling potatoes & rouille

or

Pan roasted Red Trout, braised cabbage, smoked bacon, pearl onions, lemon-tarragon beurre blanc

or                                

Lamb daube, rosemary-red wine sauce, seasonal vegetables

or

Duck confit leg, fennel puree, lardons, wild mushrooms, perigourdine sauce

Third Course

Chocolate fondant, crème anglaise

or

Apple tarte tatin, crème fraiche

or

Lavender crème brulee

Isa

Dinner

First Course

Organic Loch Duart salmon carpaccio with lemon, creme fraiche, cucumber, egg, capers & corstini

or

Dungeness crab salad with avocado, apple, grapefruit & taragon

or

Butter lettuce salad with barlet pears, candied walnuts, watercress & Point Reyes blue cheese

or

Arugula salad with mandarines, fuji apples, fennel, lemon vinaigrette and reggiano

or

Baked Laura Chenel goat cheese with pesto, tomato, concassee & pinenuts

or

Steamed Prince Edward island mussels with garlic, white wine, parsley & grilled bread

Second Course

Seared scallops with sauteed asparagus, mashed potatoes & truffle sauce

or

Nothern Halibut a la plancha with artichokes, tomato confit, olives, basil & zucchini

or

Spaghetti with himalayan truffles, tomatoes, basil & parmesan cheese

or

Truffle risotto with baby shiitake, hon shimiji mushroom & reggiano

or

Pan roasted rocky Jr. Range chicken with fresh herbs, creamy mashed potatoes & jus de poulet

or

Maple leaf farm duck breast with bacon, baby spinach, pine nuts, raisins, sherry & vinaigrette sauce

or

Grilled golden gate natural Angus flat iron steak with zucchini, fingerling potatoes, moutarde verte & bordelaise sauce

  

Third Course

Grapefruit granite

or

Semifreddo all'amaretto

or

Vanilla bean gelato with biscotti

or

Vanilla bean creme brulee

Lafitte

Lunch

First Course

Quiche of Green Garlic, Potato & Chèvre

Second Course

Spring Cassoulet of

Poultry, Pork Sausage & Gigante Beans

  

Optional Wine Pairing

Le P'tit Paysan Chardonnay, Rose or Sirah 10% off bottle price

Dinner

First Course

Escargot with Herbé Butter

or

Smoked Salmon, Orange, Radish & Frisée

Second Course

Porchetta, Grilled Spring Onions & Potatoes

or

Breast of Duck, Camargue Rice & Olives

Third Course

Almond cake with Cherry Espuma

Optional Wine Pairing

Le P'tit Paysan Chardonnay, Rose or Sirah 10% off bottle price

Luce

Lunch

First Course

Heirloom Carrot Veloute / Crispy Carrots

or

Babe Farm Baby Beets / Compressed Apple / Chevre Mousse / Toasted Hazelnuts

Second Course

Steelhead Trout / Toasted White Quinoa / Onion “Soubise” / Citrus

or

“72 Hour Short Rib” / Spaghettini / Local Mushrooms / Grana Padano

Dinner

First Course

Burrata, Compressed Peach, Toasted Quinoa, Wild Arugula

or

Diver Scallop, Cauliflower, Pickled Ramps, Lemon

Second Course

Steelhead Trout, Petit Squash, Tomato, Olive, and Spring Blossoms

or

Glazed Beef Short Rib, New Potatoes, Spring Onion, & Cucumber

Third Course

Warm Croissant Bread Pudding, Walnuts, and Coffee Ice Cream

or

Vanilla Bean Semi-Freddo, Strawberries, Rhubarb, and Phyllo

Tommy Toy’s

Dinner

First Course

Crab Cake with Mango Salsa

Second Course

Shanghai Bisque with White Fish, Silken Tofu, and Cilantro

Third Course

Salmon Wellington with Ginger-Scallion Cream and Daikon Slaw

Fourth Course

Wok-Charred Filet Mignon with XO Sauce and snow peas

Accompanied with Four Seasons Fried Rice with Shrimp, Chicken, Beef, and Barbeque Pork

Here are some pics from past DAT

Salmon dish - Bushi Tei (Lunch)

Bushi Tei salad (lunch)

Mussels - Sutro's @ the Cliff house (lunch)



Yucca balls - La Costanera (Dinner)




Duck Arborio rice - La Costanera (Dinner)



Asia De Cuba's bento box (lunch)

Enjoy Foodies... What's your pick?

Crispy Pork with shrimp paste - Pork Binagoongan

This is my version of Pork Binagoongan. This is really easy to do but it takes time. I used Barrio Fiesta shrimp paste because it's kinda sweet and I like it that way. Just use your favorite shrimp paste since we all have different preference. Here's what you need:

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of Pork shoulder (cut into 2 inch cubes) don't remove the fat yet
3 cups of water
5 tbsp. vinegar
5 dried bay leaves
1 tbsp. of black peppercorns
1 tbsp. garlic (minced)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 medium sized jalapeno chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite shrimp paste

1. In a large pot, bring water into a boil. Add vinegar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the Pork and simmer for 1 hour covered.

2. Once the pork is tender, let it cool. You can do this 1 day ahead. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

3. Remove the fatty part of the pork. Cut the pork into bite size pieces about 1 inch. In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil under medium heat. Wait until the pan is really hot then fry the pork. You really just want to make the pork crispy so it will take about 5 minutes. Also, don't crowd the pan and do it in batches. I did mine in two batches. Don't put salt too since the saltiness will come from the shrimp paste. Once crispy, Put your pork on a plate with paper towel so that it will absorb the oil of the pork.

4. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, once fragrant, add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add shrimp paste and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the shrimp paste has broken down, add your pork and jalapeno chili. Mix well and let the flavors marry for about 2 minutes.

5. Enjoy with a bowl of white rice! :)

Filipino favorite

Great with rice