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

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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