Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
June 09, 2007
France
A week ago I was in Paris. Here are some of the highlights of the trip.
Token picture of the Eiffel Tower
Le temps des ceries
Cheese, glorious cheese
Val de Loire
Chateau de Chenonceau
St. Emilion
Sunset over the Atlantic
That's one big dune
Sète
Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
July 25, 2006
Mendocino
It really wasn't a good weekend. I've had a cold for nearly a week. Normally, that would be so bad, except that California is going through the worse heat wave in 5 years. It was 97 degrees in San Francisco over the weekend. I went up to Mendocino, where temps hit 112 degrees in some areas. Because of the heat, I couldn't have the usual hot tea and soup to try and alleviate the cold symptoms.
Then there was a really big scare with my friend. There was some preliminary bad news. I cried my way through Calculus. You really shouldn't cry and derive.
It wasn't all bad. The Mendocino coast was beautiful.
Then there was a really big scare with my friend. There was some preliminary bad news. I cried my way through Calculus. You really shouldn't cry and derive.
It wasn't all bad. The Mendocino coast was beautiful.
May 23, 2006
Memphis in May
I went to the Memphis World BBQ Contest over the weekend. I found myself in the South, despite my proclamations of, "I don't do Red States!" Well, where there's good food to be had, I'll probably show up.
The Whole Hog
The BBQ was very good. But since it is the South, you can get a variety of battered and deep-fried foods. I had my fair share of fried foods over the weekend, including fried catfish, fried hush puppies, french fries, fried pickles and fried chicken from Gus's. By the time I got back to California, I really wanted some steamed broccoli.
Fried catfish and hush puppies from Soul Fish
Gus's Fried Chicken is some of the best fried chicken ever made.
Fried Chicken, French Fries, Fried Pickles and baked beans at Gus's
The BBQ was very good. But since it is the South, you can get a variety of battered and deep-fried foods. I had my fair share of fried foods over the weekend, including fried catfish, fried hush puppies, french fries, fried pickles and fried chicken from Gus's. By the time I got back to California, I really wanted some steamed broccoli.
Gus's Fried Chicken is some of the best fried chicken ever made.
March 11, 2006
Tropic of Cancer
I've been in Taiwan for the past week. It's been a good time so far. But I've been really tired from a combination of jet lag and getting up at 5am to go hiking.
I just got back from Kenting National Park, on the very Southern tip of Taiwan. The national park is gorgeous. The Tropic of Cancer runs right through Taiwan.
It's been a good trip so far. However, I haven't had any revelations about where I come from or how my past has shaped my life. Taiwan is a very different place than the US. I not sure if I could ever move back here, but it's been nice to visit.
June 23, 2005
The 50 best restaurants in the world
Restaurant Magazine (a British publication) released their annual list of the top 50 restaurants in the world. I've only been to one restaurant on the list, Chez Panisse.
Agree or disagree, but 14 of the restaurants on the list are in England. That may have to do with the bias from a British magazine. For example, why is Nobu in London on the list but not Nobu in New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo or Matsuhisa in Los Angeles? My main experience with food in England was the boog food at the University of London. It was so bad that I lost 15 pounds in 4 months.
1 The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
2 El Bulli, Montjoi, Spain
3 The French Laundry, Yountville, California
4 Tetsuya's, Sydney
5 Gordon Ramsay, London
6 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
7 Per Se, New York
8 Tom Aikens, London
9 Jean Georges, New York
10 St John, London
11 Michel Bras, Laguiole, France
12 Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo
13 Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California
14 Charlie Trotter, Chicago
15 Gramercy Tavern, New York
16 Guy Savoy, Paris
17 Restaurant Alain Ducasse, Paris
18 The Gallery at Sketch, London
19 The Waterside Inn Bray, Berkshire
20 Nobu, London
21 Restaurante Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain
22 El Raco de Can Fabes, San Celoni, Spain
23 Checcino dal 1887, Rome
24 Le Meurice, Paris
25 L'Hotel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
26 L'Arpège, Paris
27 Angela Hartnett at the Connaught, London
28 Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxford
29 Le Cinq, Paris
30 Hakkasan, London
31 Cal Pep, Barcelona
32 Masa, New York
33 Flower Drum, Melbourne
34 WD50, New York
35 Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa
36 Spice Market, New York
37 Auberge de l'Ill, Illhaeusern, Alsace
38 Manresa, California
39 Restaurant Dieter Muller, Begisch Gladbach, Germany
40 La Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France
41 The Wolseley, London
42 Rockpool, Sydney
43 Yauatcha, London
44 The Ivy, London
45 Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy
46 The Cliff, St James, Barbados
47 Le Gavroche, London
48 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence
49 Felix, Hong Kong
50 La Tupina, Bordeaux
Agree or disagree, but 14 of the restaurants on the list are in England. That may have to do with the bias from a British magazine. For example, why is Nobu in London on the list but not Nobu in New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo or Matsuhisa in Los Angeles? My main experience with food in England was the boog food at the University of London. It was so bad that I lost 15 pounds in 4 months.
1 The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
2 El Bulli, Montjoi, Spain
3 The French Laundry, Yountville, California
4 Tetsuya's, Sydney
5 Gordon Ramsay, London
6 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
7 Per Se, New York
8 Tom Aikens, London
9 Jean Georges, New York
10 St John, London
11 Michel Bras, Laguiole, France
12 Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo
13 Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California
14 Charlie Trotter, Chicago
15 Gramercy Tavern, New York
16 Guy Savoy, Paris
17 Restaurant Alain Ducasse, Paris
18 The Gallery at Sketch, London
19 The Waterside Inn Bray, Berkshire
20 Nobu, London
21 Restaurante Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain
22 El Raco de Can Fabes, San Celoni, Spain
23 Checcino dal 1887, Rome
24 Le Meurice, Paris
25 L'Hotel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
26 L'Arpège, Paris
27 Angela Hartnett at the Connaught, London
28 Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxford
29 Le Cinq, Paris
30 Hakkasan, London
31 Cal Pep, Barcelona
32 Masa, New York
33 Flower Drum, Melbourne
34 WD50, New York
35 Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa
36 Spice Market, New York
37 Auberge de l'Ill, Illhaeusern, Alsace
38 Manresa, California
39 Restaurant Dieter Muller, Begisch Gladbach, Germany
40 La Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France
41 The Wolseley, London
42 Rockpool, Sydney
43 Yauatcha, London
44 The Ivy, London
45 Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy
46 The Cliff, St James, Barbados
47 Le Gavroche, London
48 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence
49 Felix, Hong Kong
50 La Tupina, Bordeaux
August 04, 2004
The Paris Review
I got back from Paris two weeks ago. Here is my review of the some places I went to in France & Belgium. I spent the first week traveling with my sister, then met up with friends for the rest of the trip. I pretty much ate and drank my way though the whole trip. These are some of the notable dining experiences I had in those places.
The first night in France, we had dinner at the Hotel de Crillon, but not at Les Ambassadeurs (their one Michelin star restaurant). Nevertheless, the meal was quite wonderful. The dinner began with several glasses of Taittinger champagne—always a nice way to start a meal. The first course was a légumes pot au feu, which was boiled vegetables in truffled broth. The vegetables weren’t anything spectacular, but it was served with a wonderful white wine, a Menetou-Salon. The main course was lamb and potato stuffed piment d’Espelette. This was probably the best lamb dish I had—rich and tender, but not gamey. Dessert was blancmange with apples and salted butter caramel sauce.
One reason why I went to France was to celebrate my birthday. I went to Chez Pauline on my birthday. My first course was baby artichokes stuffed with tomato concasse in a light tomato broth. The main course was boeuf bourguignon with gnocchi. I’ve tried to make this dish many times, but it had never made it that well. The meat was falling apart tender, although it was quite salty. Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Good, but I’ve had better versions. Overall, the food was well done and the waiters were very attentive, but it was not an extraordinary experience. Additionally, the night I went, all the diners were other American tourists. It’s a minor issue, but I usually take it as good sign when locals eat at a restaurant. Another issue I had was that the service charge wasn’t included in the meal, which is very odd. Service is normally included in the cost of the meal in France. I never saw this at any other restaurant I went to in France. The meal was about 120 euros for two.
I love falafels in Paris. I don’t think the ones in San Francisco are nearly as good. Chez Marianne is a deli on rue des Rosiers in the Marais. I had the falafel special, which consisted of falafels, fried eggplant, cabbage and lots of tahini all tucked into a pita. The meal with a glass of wine was around 6 euros. The restaurant also has the narrowest staircase I’ve ever seen. No wonder the French are so thin, otherwise they wouldn't be able to go upstairs.
After Paris, we went to Provence for a few days. We visited Arles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.
I had dinner at La Taverne du Forum, located next to the famed Night Café (painted by Van Gogh) in Arles. Everyone had bad service, even if they were French. The food though, was quite lovely. I had the soupe de poisson (fish soup) and paella camarguaise. The soup was thick, dark and earthy and served with cheese, aioli and croutons. The paella had mussels, shrimp and chicken. The flavor wasn’t too different from Spanish paella, but the texture was much soupier. Also, the rice they used was different, short grain and round. The Camargue region is known for growing rice.
The Saturday morning market in the tiny provincial town of Arles puts San Francisco's Ferry Plaza farmer’s market to shame. The amount of fresh produce was incredible, lots of fruit, olives, honey, sausage, etc. I went to the market for breakfast and had melon, figs, paella, baguette with fresh chevre, St. Nectare cheese and tapenade (then followed by Rolaids). I also picked up some fleur de sel, lavender and rosemary honeys and herbes de Provence. There were also lots of people who sold local pottery, shoes, clothes and that beautiful, colorful cloth decorated with olive or lavender patterns.
After Provence, my sister went home and I went to Belgium. I thought Belgium was rather boring, but the food I had was good. The waffles were very good. I especially liked the dense Gaufes de Liège. It seemed like they sprinkled sugar on the dough before cooking the waffle, so it ends up with a crispy caramel layer on the outside of a warm, chewy waffle.
I met some friends for dinner on my first night in Brussels. Dinner actually started with beer. I had the Bellevue Kriek—a cherry flavored beer. Then we went to Falstaff for dinner, near the Grand Place. I started with the Maatje salad. It was fresh herring and onion salad. The herring was salty, but not fishy or oily. Then I had the Waterzooi. It’s a braised chicken with potatoes and carrots. I thought it tasted like a very good chicken & dumplings (but without the dumplings). The weather was cold and rainy. Perfect weather for having Waterzooi, even though it was the middle of July.
My favorite part of the trip was being in Paris for Bastille Day. There’s nothing comparable to having a picnic on the Champs du Mars while watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower.
The first night in France, we had dinner at the Hotel de Crillon, but not at Les Ambassadeurs (their one Michelin star restaurant). Nevertheless, the meal was quite wonderful. The dinner began with several glasses of Taittinger champagne—always a nice way to start a meal. The first course was a légumes pot au feu, which was boiled vegetables in truffled broth. The vegetables weren’t anything spectacular, but it was served with a wonderful white wine, a Menetou-Salon. The main course was lamb and potato stuffed piment d’Espelette. This was probably the best lamb dish I had—rich and tender, but not gamey. Dessert was blancmange with apples and salted butter caramel sauce.
One reason why I went to France was to celebrate my birthday. I went to Chez Pauline on my birthday. My first course was baby artichokes stuffed with tomato concasse in a light tomato broth. The main course was boeuf bourguignon with gnocchi. I’ve tried to make this dish many times, but it had never made it that well. The meat was falling apart tender, although it was quite salty. Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Good, but I’ve had better versions. Overall, the food was well done and the waiters were very attentive, but it was not an extraordinary experience. Additionally, the night I went, all the diners were other American tourists. It’s a minor issue, but I usually take it as good sign when locals eat at a restaurant. Another issue I had was that the service charge wasn’t included in the meal, which is very odd. Service is normally included in the cost of the meal in France. I never saw this at any other restaurant I went to in France. The meal was about 120 euros for two.
I love falafels in Paris. I don’t think the ones in San Francisco are nearly as good. Chez Marianne is a deli on rue des Rosiers in the Marais. I had the falafel special, which consisted of falafels, fried eggplant, cabbage and lots of tahini all tucked into a pita. The meal with a glass of wine was around 6 euros. The restaurant also has the narrowest staircase I’ve ever seen. No wonder the French are so thin, otherwise they wouldn't be able to go upstairs.
After Paris, we went to Provence for a few days. We visited Arles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.
I had dinner at La Taverne du Forum, located next to the famed Night Café (painted by Van Gogh) in Arles. Everyone had bad service, even if they were French. The food though, was quite lovely. I had the soupe de poisson (fish soup) and paella camarguaise. The soup was thick, dark and earthy and served with cheese, aioli and croutons. The paella had mussels, shrimp and chicken. The flavor wasn’t too different from Spanish paella, but the texture was much soupier. Also, the rice they used was different, short grain and round. The Camargue region is known for growing rice.
The Saturday morning market in the tiny provincial town of Arles puts San Francisco's Ferry Plaza farmer’s market to shame. The amount of fresh produce was incredible, lots of fruit, olives, honey, sausage, etc. I went to the market for breakfast and had melon, figs, paella, baguette with fresh chevre, St. Nectare cheese and tapenade (then followed by Rolaids). I also picked up some fleur de sel, lavender and rosemary honeys and herbes de Provence. There were also lots of people who sold local pottery, shoes, clothes and that beautiful, colorful cloth decorated with olive or lavender patterns.
After Provence, my sister went home and I went to Belgium. I thought Belgium was rather boring, but the food I had was good. The waffles were very good. I especially liked the dense Gaufes de Liège. It seemed like they sprinkled sugar on the dough before cooking the waffle, so it ends up with a crispy caramel layer on the outside of a warm, chewy waffle.
I met some friends for dinner on my first night in Brussels. Dinner actually started with beer. I had the Bellevue Kriek—a cherry flavored beer. Then we went to Falstaff for dinner, near the Grand Place. I started with the Maatje salad. It was fresh herring and onion salad. The herring was salty, but not fishy or oily. Then I had the Waterzooi. It’s a braised chicken with potatoes and carrots. I thought it tasted like a very good chicken & dumplings (but without the dumplings). The weather was cold and rainy. Perfect weather for having Waterzooi, even though it was the middle of July.
My favorite part of the trip was being in Paris for Bastille Day. There’s nothing comparable to having a picnic on the Champs du Mars while watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower.