satori aka SUCKtori aka CRAPtori

I hadn't had sushi in a while so after running around with "I don't knows" to every one of Alvin's question of where to eat, we finally decided to go to Satori's by the Wal-Mart in Elk Grove. Let's just say, from previous exceptional experiences, we had high expectations of our meal and they definitely were not met.

First off, I love salmon sashimi/nigiri/sushi but I was in the mood for sashimi that night. My first inquiry was what type of fish was in their sashimi mix and the waitress proceeded to tell me there was of course, salmon (she did say there was a mix of "fishes," which we all know isn't a word because the plural of fish is indeed, "fish"). I also ordered a side of tempura shrimp, and Alvin ordered a Tiger roll and a beef udon bowl.

My sashimi plate and his sushi roll come out together, however, there was NO salmon sashimi in the "mix" and my promised side of rice didn't come until we were able to flag our waitress down about 10 minutes after the arrival of our food. However, we were even more surprised when our other dishes didn't arrive after we waited another 15-20mins. Usually, it should all come out together. Mind you, I ordered an side order of a shrimp tempura APPETIZER. Anyway, we waited another 5-10 minutes and finally our waitress came to our table to tell us they were having a problem in the kitchen and that Alvin's "dinner thingy" was going to be right out. DINNER THINGY?! I think it's highly inappropriate to describe someone's meal in such a way. I was almost disgusted with how blase she was with our meal. HELLO, we deserve so much better than that especially when we're paying with our hard-earned money. I think she should have informed us of the situation as soon as she knew.

After another long wait, we just decided to take our food to-go since it was taking so long and my nieces were waiting for us back home. I got the bill and if it weren't for my kindness, I wouldn't have left them a tip but I STILL left $3. Ugh, what a HUGE disappointment. What was an even huger disappointment was getting home, opening Alvin's beef bowl and seeing only like three smalls trips of beef, tossed in with a poorly cooked egg, and the entire bowl reeked of onions. DISGUSTING. My mom's beefsteak is 100 times better than what was there.

I spoke to a manager on the phone when we got home and told him how disappointed we were. He took my boyfriend's name and said he'd take care of us next time. UH, sorry buddy...there isn't going to be a next time.

truffle oil

truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil truffle oil

I heart truffle oil.

cooking exploration

I've been cooking a lot the past couple weeks since I finished my classes and my evenings have been free. I made some salmon dishes (wasabi salmon, lemon butter baked salmon), along with a mixed seafood pasta dish one night. I also ventured in cooking ratatouille which is really good. It's a mix of vegetables (zuccini, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes) sauteed in olive oil and lots of herbs...I really enjoyed it, and it was healthy. I've made breakfast dishes lately too, making poached eggs over canadian bacon with hollandaise, and side of potatoes--Alvin seems to like this one. Tonight I'm gonna work on a baked pasta macaroni and cheese-style type of dish with truffle oil, mozzarella, chicken and bacon. It's actually really fun to take the time to cook, especially when the meal turns out to be yummy.

We've been eating out every now and then, going to places that turn out to be not that great. There haven't been many restaurants to write home about. We've gone to our usual spots, like Squeeze Inn, Sam Wo's, Fox & Goose and of course, our favorite places to have sushi.

homai fusion cuisine

The trip to Homai Fusion Cuisine was definitely one we went out on a whim for. It was a long drive from downtown to Roseville--it took us nearly an hour. When we got there, there wasn't a crowd. We were seated promptly and told that we could order from their menu five items first, then three items every time following. The options were few, and the sushi rolls were basic. We were worried that full rolls would come out, but were assured when only three pieces of a sushi roll came. With that, we felt like we could try as many items as we wanted. I liked the sashimi the best--salmon (of course) and the red snapper. I ordered those two things a few times. The rice in the sushi was hard and it made the rolls terrible. What I was also surprised by was the lettuce in the rolls! Yes, I don't usually like avocado in my rolls because I'm slightly allergic but LETTUCE? How appalling.

Anyway, among those things we also got honey walnut prawns, tempura shrimp (which was pretty good), gyoza, and pan fried noodles. Overall, the experience was okay. I don't think I'll be going back ever again. I have yet to find a decent all you can eat place, but I'm inclined to trying out Fuji's because I've heard so much talk about it.

I won't even put the address of Homai because I DON'T recommend it.

sweeties

MMMMM!

I stopped by Opa! Opa! to grab lunch to-go, which by the way has pretty damn good gyros. Anyway, on my way in I see that Sweeties is connected to the restaurant. I knew I had to stop on my way out and man, I'm sure glad I did!

I wanted to get my co-worker a treat because yesterday was his birthday (the big 4-0). They have mini-cakes and all kinds of goodies. I picked a Boston cream pie with chocolate fudge outside (? is that what you call it) and a tiramisu for myself. I got a lemon bar for my boss, and macaroons dipped in chocolate for my other co-workers. I figure, I don't really do much for them and plus, we're only down to the five of us this week.

Man, that tiramisu was awesome! I have to stop myself after every few bites or else I"m gonna devour it too fast. This is definitely what I needed after studying last night and taking my final and having to write a paper/study/take a final these next couple days! CHOCOLATE HEAVEN!

They even put in a little glass bowl, so that's my souvenir from the awesome piece of dessert. Too bad I've got cocoa powder all over my skirt!

Hometown Buffet

Alright, alright...I'm probably going out on a whim doing a review of Hometown Buffet but I thought it'd be an interesting idea, as I was sitting Sunday morning, in front of my third (shocking!) plate at the restaurant.

I woke up Sunday morning, having a strange craving for their waffles. This usually happens every now and then, not as much as before when my family and I went nearly every weekend after church on Sundays. I was just looking forward to their soft, warm rounds of waffles drenched in strawberries and syrup. Mmmm.

So we get there, it's not too busy and we're overwhelmed by all the smells coming from the many dishes served under the heat-lamps. I start off, of course with my waffles, adding a poached egg, some sausage links and hashbrowns to my plate. The boyfriend starts with a salad. For breakfast?! Well, that's what goes with the autonomy of a buffet. You get to eat whatever it is that you like, provided by the restaurant, of course. I also managed to eat some fried chicken, an omelet, salad, and other things. I ended my meal with a vanilla/choc ice cream cone.

Mmmm. Where else can ya get fried chicken and ice cream for breakfast?! (Of course, you can have it anywhere else, like at home, but I think Hometown Buffet is cool...)

Hometown Buffet
9089 Bruceville Rd
Elk Grove, CA
(916) 684-2771

Pacific Catch

So, if you've catched the new iPhone commercials (man, I drool at the thought of having one), it shows the "magic hands" going into iTunes on the phone, then watching a clip of Pirates of the Carribean, and then finally going onto Google Maps to search for the nearest seafood restaurant in of course, the best city ever, SF. The first place that comes up is Pacific Catch. Pretty nifty, eh?

Well, even before the infamous iPhone commercial, I've had my stomach set on trying out this place. The previous attempt was a bust cus I spent too much time trying on the same 2 pairs of shoes at Nordstrom's at SF Center. However, this time around, on me and Johanna's spontaneous trip to SF last Friday night, I made it a point to be able to make it. The drive was pretty crazy from Downtown to the Marina District and parking was...well, something that start's with "b" and ends with "itch." Then I nearly wanted to throw a tantrum when we got to the door and the server said they were closing in ten minutes. Bummerrrrrr. We decided on taking it to-go but luckily these two other hungry patrons asked for a table so she had no choice but to offer us one. The servers didn't look too happy about that, but oh well...we wanted our food!

I had been browsing the menu online prior to our trip and was torn between their taco special plate or one of their wasabi bowls. I've read great reviews on both. That night, I decided on a wasabi bowl with their ahi poke (Hawaiian-style sashimi). Johanna got a shrimp teriyaki bowl. If you imagine, a sushi roll exploding, very neatly into a bowl, that's pretty much how my bowl's appearance was like. There was seasoned sushi rice on the bottom, a huge helping of raw ahi tuna, sliced avocado, sliced cucumber, sprouts, pickled ginger, and even shredded nori. It was delish! I like Jo's bowl too with the pineapple fried rice. I wanted to try their ginger tea (I looove ginger tea) but they were out of it so I opted for a Thai iced tea but it wasn't as sweet as I like it. We also ordered a side-order of their sweet potato fries accompanied with a wasabi/horse radish dipping sauce and sweet & sour dipping sauce. They were tasty! My bowl was great but, sadly, I couldn't finish it. I ended up doggy-bagging the rest of it but left it in my car overnight til mid-morning the next day and it didn't smell so great after that...I had too much crap to carry out of the car into my house that I blindly left it =(. The fish nearly cooked in the 90deg heat of the car/outside. What a waste! Anyway, I'm definitely taking Alvin there next time cus it was great. Our bill ended up for the both of us being $35. Not bad at all!

Pacific Catch
pacificcatch.com
2027 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 440-1950

sam wo, la med, peet's, the stinking rose, fuddruckers, zao

So, this is on more of a personal note, but work has been sooo hectic. Before recently, I've had to my avail time to dick around because the work that I've been assigned is menial or just takes me very little time to do. The week before last I had this budgets project given to me that I just finished yesterday. I've also been covering for analysts and office tech in the meanwhile. Yesterday, I was also assigned some HR (human resources) work that involved going through applications, etc. Crazy! How did I go from Student Assistant to budgets analysts to HR in just a week?! Anyway, I'm glad because the experience will definitely boost my resume post-graduation.

Onto the topic of fooooood...

Alvin and I spent the weekend eating, literally. We traveled to SF for my niece's hula recital in Pacifica. She's so awesome! I've never seen a seven-year old with a six pack and muscular biceps as she has. Afterward, my sister and hubby took us all out to Washington Street for Sam Wo. The restaurant's been up for over a hundred years and was recently advertised on Conan O'Brien when he recorded his show in the city last month. My sister was quite excited about that fact because she's been eating here since she was a teenager--so long now that she knows the owner/server as "mama" (whom her kids also know her as). Well, we started with their wonton soup, which I have to say is quite flavorful compared to other restaurants' soups. There's a choice between roasted pork, beef, prawns or chicken to add with the wontons and we had chicken. We also ordered their house special chow mein and fried rice. Their chow mein is different because they use ramen noodles so it comes out really thin and even a little bit on the crunchy side. The fried rice is awesome with huge helpings of shrimp, chicken, beef and pork mixed in. Something is definitely special about their soy sauce also because when added to the food, it just makes it that much more delicious. We enjoyed our late-night meal (it was about 11pm by the time we left my niece's recital), while entertaining "mama's" inquiries about the kids and if I'm married or not. She's sweet. Of course, as usual, the kids left with their pockets full of White Rabbit candy while us "bigger kids" left with satisfied palates and full stomachs. Yes, it is cheap eats but authentic eats at that. $40 fed three adults, a seven-year old, six-year old and my naughty year-old niece. That was great.

(Sam Wo is criticized for having "rude" or even "abrupt" service, but that's what also makes it unique. It's not that they're trying to rush you or turn you away, it's just that's how it is. Besides, some places, you don't come for the service but for the food--and this really is one of those places. Who knows, after a while of coming back for the food, eventually you may have the opportunity to call Mrs. Wo "mama," too.")

Due to my sister's kindness and graciousness, we had a wonderful breakfast at their home. She cooked eggs, both sunnyside up and scrambled and delightfully fried some bacon that was crisp to perfection (and not oily either). We also enjoyed pan de sal from The Bread Basket--which by the way, is THE best bread EVER. Spread some butter on that baby and you got yourself heaven on earth. Mmmmmm.

For a late lunch, Alvin and I headed over to La Mediterranee on Fillmore. I had my usual fillo dough lunch special, served with a side of hummus and avgolemono (lemon chicken rice porridge type soup). My three fillo doughs were the grecian spinach and feta cheese, chicken cilicia, and cheese karni. Soooo good. I always crave for this plate!

We walked around a bit on Fillmore and stopped over at Peet's Coffee & Tea. I've never actually had Peet's before this time and I think I like it a little bit more than Starbucks...*shock*. I had a chocolate caramel freddo and it was aweeeeesome. It was a blend of coffee, chocolate, and caramel, topped with fresh whipped cream, more caramel and actual chocolate shavings. Mmm...I think I want one RIGHT NOW.

My goal for the afternoon was to shoppp til I dropped, and I literally dropped but didn't shop =(. I drooled as we walked around Tiffany's and I was sooooo tempted to buy something! Self-control definitely happened right then and there. Anyway, after around five hours of NOT shopping I finally gave up--wait, scratch that, cus I did actually buy shoes because my feet were hurting so bad from walking around looking for clothes to buy. Ironic!

Anyway, we were pretty hungry after that. I had originally planned to go to Pacific Catch (see previous posts), but we were running behind on time and so we just decided to go to The Stinking Rose. Alvin had been bugging me since we started dating to go there so we did. Let me just tell you, parking in Little Italy is a bitch. After the whole parking fiasco, we got to the restaurant, were quickly seated, once-overed the menu, debated over a few dishes and finally decided on what to order. We started with the bagna caldo which is roasted garlic swimming in olive oil and sitting upon a bed of anchovies. It was good but after a while, the garlic definitely started to hit me. The experience was like an alcholic drink almost. I ordered the large cut of the garlic-roasted prime rib, with the side of yukon gold mashed potatoes and creamed Swiss chard. It was pretty good, but honestly not the best prime rib that I've had in my life. Alvin ordered a skillet with a combination of mussels, crab, and shrimp--of course, roasted with garlic. Again, the experience with that was okay. Our food overall, was okay--I think this restaurant is a bit overrated. Our server was pretty cool, though. Kudos to him for helping a girl out in search for a band-aid for her poorly blistered feet.

The next day we headed to Mass in San Bruno. After church, we had lunch at Fuddruckers. Let me just say this now, I will probably never eat there again in my life. I don't think I look at burgers the same ever since I was introduced to Squeeze Inn. I had a 1/3lb "works" burger (mushroom, American cheese, and bacon)--I didn't even eat half. There was something off about the mushrooms. I also ordered a side of chili-cheese fries, and honestly, the chili-cheese fries I had at the John Mayer concert at the HP Pavillion in San Jose were ten times better than these. The fries were over salted and everything about it just sucked. It was not pleasing to my taste buds at all. However, the bright side of lunch was the order of buffalo chicken wings. Now those were good. I normally don't like buffalo wings because they're too hot and I can't handle too much spicyness. I don't find buffalo wings good, usually. This time I did and I was happy about that. The chocolate milkshake (made from Dreyer's) was another highlight of the meal. Alvin had ordered a ONE POUND burger--for God knows what reason. He didn't even eat it all, and I saw that coming the instant I bit into mine. I think what I disliked most about the meal was the aftermath. We ended up tired, lethargic and comatosed for the rest of the afternoon while the fat and grease continued to invade our bodies and swim through our veins and arteries. We were out from around 3pm to 7pm. GROSS. I will never let that happent to me again!

We were going to go to dim sum for dinner (yeah, I guess there are places in SF that serve at night) but since we had overslept for so long we just left to go back home. We ended up stopping in Emeryville because, surprisingly after Fudd's, we managed to gain our hunger back. The place we went to had a limited foodcourt so we just ended up at this place called Zao's Noodle Bar, where we had an overly enthusiastic waitress as our server. The food offered is mostly Asian-fusion. I had a chicken, thai soup dish--obviously not memorable. I did like the ginger-orange cooler that I got. I honestly think there was MSG in their soup because I ended up feeling nauseated and developed a headache after. It was not a fun drive home. I don't think I'll ever go back to that place AGAIN.

The weekend started off lovely but midway through deteriorated with bad eating experiences come Sunday. I think we'll stick to Yelp reccomendations rather than winging it. I will make sure to plan our food outings because after all, we are paying for our meals. All in all, we did come across some interesting food adventures. Oh well...you win some you lose some. Now I really want some dim sum.

Sam Woh Restaurant
813 Washington St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 982-0596

La Mediterranee
2210 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 921-2956

Peet's Coffee & Tea
2197 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 563-9930

Stinking Rose
325 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA
(415) 781-7673

Fuddruckers
2001 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA
(650) 758-2800

Zao Noodle Bar
5614 Bay St # 234
Emeryville, CA
(510) 595-2888

weekend of food!

I have a bunch of restaurant "reviews" to write, but no time cus of school and midterms (already?!).

I'll get to them sooooon.

yum yum teriyaki!

I finally had teriyaki! I've been craving it for a week, ever since I walked by the I <3 Teriyaki at Market Square in Arden.

I went over to Samurai Sam's off a co-worker's reccomendation. It's two blocks away from my building. Their menu has the basics: steak, chicken, shrimp teriyaki over rice with vegetables. They also offer salads, teriyaki wraps, and other sides. But what took me back was they offer the choice of all-white chicken and brown rice. Definitely a healthier choice for all us health nuts promoters. The prices are inexpensive too. I didn't feel like I was eating "fast food" but the service was quick. My teriyaki chicken bowl was cooked fresh and even the eggroll, which I find at most other places to lack flavor, was yummy. I enjoyed my lunch there and I will be making my way back again one day.

Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill
1401 O St # B
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 928-0567

i think i've decided

It's going to either be Pacific Cafe (on Geary) or Pacific Catch (on Chestnut).

Hmm, I hope I made a good decision!

it's the weekenddd

OK, not really. But I'd like to think it is.

The reason I say that is because it's my Friday (well, I still have work tomorrow but work's never too hard so I'm not that worried). I've survived my first week of classes (summer classes at that). It's been sooo stressful being pressed on time and energy. I've resorted to snacking on protein bars during class, and turning Java City sandwiches and microwaved quesadillas into lunches. Sucks. I've literally been hungry everyday this week...*sigh*. My glucose level has been having a hard time stabilizing.

Anyway, we're going to SF for the weekend (just Fri & Sat). For post-anniversary celebrations, we're going to go shopping and eaaat--my treat this time, since he took me to Taro's last weekend. But I find myself stumped as to where to go! Never happened before! I am craving La Med but I've gone there so many times already (I just love it so much). I was thinking of possibly having sushi, but we have sushi so much here in Sac. Naked Fish sounds interesting though...hmm.

I'm roaming around Bay Area food blogs to see what we could check it. Nothing too pricey either cus I'm on a budget, boooo =(.

P.S. Reading all these food blogs is making my mouth salivate. I'm hungry!

life's too precious

Over the weekend, sadly two people from Sacramento passed away. I know this a food blog but the reason I mention it here is because one was a sushi chef at Kru, Rolly Soliven. He had a motorcycling accident: read about it here.

The other was, Chris Tam, of Mass Appeal Entertainment. The cause of his death is still unknown but still affecting many lives.

They were both young men, at the prime of their lives. Their loss has touched many lives, like mine. Even though I was not close to them, the six degrees of life made us acquaintances; I went to a few of the parties held at clubs by Mass Appeal and would see Chris walking around, and Rolly was my cousin's boyfriend in highschool/college.

RIP Chris & Rolly.

appalling

I was reading this article (link from Cakegrrl) and I just found it disturbing. To be honest, in the picture, she does look good but after reading about the road that brought her there, it's not good at all. I couldn't imagine myself doing what she did. To be honest, there have been moments of desperation for me, where I desire with all my might to lose weight. Hell, I've even experimented with bulimia in order to avoid being 150lbs again. But within the last year, I did manage to lose about 20-25lbs and for the most part, I did keep it off. There were the occasional fluxuations of 5lbs here and there because of holidays, PMS week, etc. Now, I find myself in the same bind. It's true that dating and being in love makes you fat...*sigh*.

I am trying again to lose weight, but not as drastically as that girl is. I want to do it the right way and I know I'm capable of doing so. All it is, is calories in, calories out. As long as I have the right kind of mentality, and the right kind of attitude, I can still bake roll my cake sushi, and eat it too.

palate frustrations*

*Similar to sexual frustrations; mostly involving the need to drench tastebuds with delectable flavors

I'm guilty, and what's worse, I'm guilty at work. My obsession for food blogs, recipe blogs, and anything remotely related to food has grown. I've been exploring (thanks to Google) food blogs of those from Sacramento and I have found quite a few that I greatly admire--just check out my list of links to the left! I'm still searching, however.

I feel inspired. Lately, I've been on this hunt, somewhat of a soul-search, to seek new interests and hobbies. I've been hungering to be educated, and not necessarily in terms of attending classes at Sac State. I have this desire to be knowledged in other areas. I don't like politics, so that's out of the question. I read books like it's my major, as is, so I needed something else. I have been desperate, to the point where I'm finding sites like PerezHilton.com and GetRealDenver.com (based off Real World: Denver) entertaining. But come on, Hollywood gossip--a new hobby? Wow, I need to get it together. I'm picking up photography more and more and I've learned that taking shots of live objects (i.e. human beings, animals, etc. of the kind) is more thrilling than taking photos of inanimate subjects, reason being that I don't like taking pictures of food despite it having once lived. So now I've moved onto food blogs.

Right now, I'm in the middle of reading Vanilla Garlic and I'm sooooo inspired (I've never been this infatuated with a food blog~!) to just go home from work and BAKE! But *sigh*...it's been a rough couple of months financially so my desire to cook/bake has to be put on hold. Man, if I could just quit my day job to chop, broil, stew, and watch meat go from pink to brown, and pick fruit off trees, I would so do it! Anyway...a girl can dream.

This weekend was a taste of that life. Saturday, the family and I headed to Brentwood for fruit picking at Bacchini's pick-your-own fruit farm. I was looking forward to picking ollalie berries, but they didn't have any! I did enjoy picking cherries, only a few because I was the photographer for the day. There were also blackberry vines and I discovered how tranquil it was to pick those little tiny things, despite being pricked by thorns. I even considered doing a career change and studying agriculture to be a farmer--but, that was just a thought. Afterward, we proceeded to bbq at a near by park. Nothing special, just your average burgers, salmon burgers, and hotdogs. We did get to experiment with condiments since my sister happened to leave ketchup and mustard at home. So I ended up with a salmon burger, dressed with spinach dip. It was interesting.

Upon getting home, I went straight into helping my sister-in-law out with cooking. She was mid-rolling/cooking meatballs so I took over. I then chopped/diced for the bruschettas we were making. Pretty simple: sliced sourdough bread, brushed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, topped with diced tomatoes, fresh mozarella and chopped basil. My brother and I were also trying to re-enact scenes from last season's Hell's Kitchen in the meanwhile. The next day was more bbq-ing. We bbq-ed a slab of side pork (w/fat on) for dipping in a soy/vinegar/garlic sauce. We had a Rachael Ray version of taco salad, along with Greek salad, potato salad, and fruit salad (dessert, of course). We also had barbequed trout stuffed with ginger and onions. Too much food this weekend.

My stomach needs a break that's why I'm filling up on fruit right now. But my mouth has been watering from reading all these food blogs. I have a mixed craving for Mexican food, sushi, and cupcakes. I want to cook =(

frozen yogurt craze

Friday night, after working out, dinner and etc...I was craving frozen yogurt. I've been on a hunt especially for strawberry fro-yo. Alvin took me to Tiger's Yogurt Shoppe in Elk Grove to get my fix. YUM, it definitely was. They offer different flavors outside of van/choc (but sadly, no strawberry) and so we tried pistachio and I liked it! I like it better than regular pistachio ice cream because it has a ton of the nut flavor minus the nuts! A+!

Tiger's Yogurt Shop
8561 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove, CA
(916) 686-8222

sushi sushi sushi

I <3 SUSHI.

There's nothing more to say than that.

OK, j/k. There is. But really, there's nothing that I love to eat more than my rolls stuffed with tempura or fresh fish, held together by seaweed (or soy paper), compressed with rice all around, topped off with more raw stuff, and drizzled with spicy mayo or some other saucy concoction. Yummy.

Alvin and I eat sushi, on average, twice a week. We eat at Arigato's for one of those times, and tend to try out another place for our second meal. Arigato's has been a regular place for us to eat at, even before we were dating. It's cheap, fast, and pretty decent when you're hungry. It's definitely not for any sushi connosieur because they don't use the best fish there is, and sometimes, it's as if they just throw their stuff together. Nonetheless, there are really no other complaints. They're simple with their regular beverages of Pepsi, Sprite, etc. They're Sake Bombs are cheap and from what the guys say, (I'm not of age, yet), they're good. The last time we went, I tried something new, the TNT roll. Spicy tuna on top with the regular fillings--I like.

This past week we finally tried Nishiki's. I've heard a lot of raves about it and two of the waitresses who work there are friends of mine. The place is really chill and pretty busy, despite it being a Wednesday night. The owner seems like a pretty laidback/outgoing fellow too. I had the Golden Salmon roll because I LOVE SALMON. I'm infamous for going after anything with salmon in it, and I don't like to share it--just ask Alvin. This roll has fresh salmon on top, and smoked salmon inside. I could've done without the smoked salmon, especially when I prefer the fish fresh and raw. I also had the King's roll which was sweet egg, tempura shrimp and rice wrapped in pink soy paper. I liked this one better of the two. We were served chocolate, mocha, and vanilla mochi sliced and diced, with chocolate drizzling as a way to end the meal. More yum.

The last week, we ventured into Tex Wasabi's, owned by Guy Fieri (I kept saying Ferrari) from the FoodNetwork. The atmosphere is chill, and the servers are pretty cool. We had a whoooole crazy array of sushi. I don't remember the names anymore--I'm bad with registering in my brain the names of rolls, sorry sushi! I do remember having one that was called the Jackass roll (which I kept teasing Alvin, saying that they named it after him =P), and then one roll with bacon and bbq sauce (I think?) in it. Not my cup of tea. I did like the one wrapped in lettuce but again, I can't recall what was in it. I liked their sushi; it was different but you definitely have to be open to the idea of "American-fusioned" sushi. Their array of drinks was interesting too. Can't wait til I'm 21!

Arigato Sushi
1608 Howe Ave, Sacramento, CA
(916) 920-5930

Nishiki Sushi
1501 16th St # 111, Sacramento, CA
(916) 446-3629

Tex Wasabi's
2100 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA
(916) 927-8399

failed attempts

So the other week, Alvin and I decided to stay home and to cook dinner. He chose crab as our main staple for our meal, and I wanted to try out garlic noodles as the accompaniment. His crab turned out fine, whereas, my noodles...not so good. I don't know what it is that Crustacean does to make their noodles sooo good. I am determined to try to make them again and aim for making them exactly like the restaurant's!

british pub dining

For the second time this week, Alvin and I went to Fox & Goose. First it was Saturday for breakfast before we visited shelters. I had the Benedict Arnold with Canadian bacon with their special sauce (forgot the name; substitute for hollandaise, some Welsh-type sauce). Alvin had a New Yorker's omelet: smoked salmon with cream cheese. Pretty good. We also shared an olallieberry (sp?) scone. I really like their food.

We had dinner last night and their "pub grill" food is okay, nothing special. I had a cornish pasty, which is cornish meat (??? haha, I don't know) with potatoes and peas, served with a side of gravy. Alvin had the nutburger which was pretty interesting. It was a ground up mix of nuts made into a patty served on a bun. I liked it; it reminded me of taco meat. We also had their appetizer sampler which had fried zucchini, chicken strips and banger rolls (these are greaaat! they're english sausages rolled up dough). Nothing was too greasy, which was also a plus. We shared their burnt cream desert, which reminded me of lecheflan, except served really chilled. I liked it too. I'd come back for that, but not anything else for the dinner. Breakfast, definitely.

We also tried out Daphne's Greek Cafe (a Greek restaurant/fast-food chain-type place) in Elk Grove. I had the vegetarian platter and it was pretty good. If all vegetarian dishes were as interesting as Greek vegetarian dishes, I could definitely be a vegetarian. I'd come back here again for the food. It's pretty refreshing and healthy.

Last week, Alvin, Jo and I finally tried Big Spoon Yogurt. I know there are better places, especially Pinkberry and other frogurt spots in So-Cal, but being one of the first in Sac, I have to say it was a good experience. I put vanilla, strawberry, and Ghirardhelli frogurt into my cup (a little too much, it was overflowing) and topped it with mini-gummy bears, strawberries (too bad they were frozen), chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel sauce and probably other stuff that I've already forgotten. It was greaaat! I really hope they open a better frogurt place with fresher toppings and more flavors of yogurt!

Fox & Goose Public House
1001 R St, Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-8825

Daphne's Greek Cafe
Elk Grove, CA
(no listing avail. yet)

Big Spoon Yogurt
3644 J St # A, Sacramento, CA
(916) 731-4655

random things i like at random places

chicken pot pie and raisin bread from Mimi's Cafe
pizzas from BJ's
hummus or baba ganoush from La Mediteranee
sushi from everyyywhere
garlic noodles from Crustacean
never ending fresh strawberry lemonade from Red Robin
siopao from Chow King
salads and croissants from La Bou
miso soup from Satori's
ube ice cream from Mitchell's

places to check out in the future

I spend a lot of time at work reading about food places (restaurants, duh =P), especially when I'm bored. I just wanted to take note of a couple of places that I'd like to EAT at in the future...

Pacific Catch
2027 Chestnut St (Cross Street: Fillmore Street)
San Francisco, CA 94123

Tad's Steakhouse
120 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102-2204
(been here before but want to go when it reopens after remodeling)

Naked Fish
2084 Chestnut St (Cross Street: Fillmore Street)
San Francisco, CA 94123

First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge
101 Cyril Magnin St (Cross Street: Ellis Street)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Fleur de Lys
777 Sutter St (Cross Street: Jones Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109

The Kitchen
2225 Hurley Way
Sacramento, CA 95825

aziza
5800 Geary Blvd (Cross Street: 22nd Avenue)
San Francisco, CA 94121

craaaaaab & more!

I took Alvin to Crustacean for his birthday and also for his first time. It was lovely =) We shared the drunken crab (cooked in wines) and the roasted crab (baked with lotsssss of garlic) and three bowls of garlic noodles (my fave & the best accompaniment to crab). He really enjoyed it and so did I!

Sunday we tried out this place in Midtown called La Trattoria Bohemia, which serves both Italian and Czech dishes...pretty interesting. I had the Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi (I said guh-no-chee =P) baked with mozarella cheese on top and he had one of the Czech beef dishes. We shared a dark chocolate amore--dark chocolate gelato with a strawberry sorbet-type center, garnished with raspberry syrup. I like this place...we're definitely going to go back.

Crustacean Restaurant
1475 Polk St, San Francisco, CA
(415) 776-2722

La Trattoria Bohemia
3649 J St, Sacramento, CA
(916) 455-7803

noteable places

Pacific Cafe
688 San Jose Ave, San Francisco, CA
(415) 648-2300
-Featured on Rachael Ray; no reservations so expected wait is always nearly 2hours; free wine as you wait; greaaaat prices ($15-$20 per plate w/soup or salad); very accomodating and friendly service.

Thanh Long
4101 Judah St, San Francisco, CA
(415) 665-1146
-Part of the An Family restaurants; greaaaat crab, quite pricey; small location, hustle&bustle atmosphere

Crustacean - San Francisco
1475 Polk St, San Francisco, CA
(415) 776-2722
-Also part of An Family restaurants; similar menu to Thanh Long; more formal/conservative atmosphere

La Mediteranee
2936 College Ave, Berkeley, CA
(510) 540-7773
-Greek/Mediterranean food; large portions, very filling; decent prices; atmosphere goes with the Berkeley lifestyle

Mitchell's Ice Cream
688 San Jose Ave, San Francisco, CA
(415) 648-2300
-BEST ICE CREAM in the Bay! Only one location; quite busy, so expect a wait; favorites include ube, mango, toasted almond & kahlua mocha