Jul 2007

Taylor’s Automatic Refresher – San Francisco

 

July 8, 2007
Cuisine: Burgers, Sandwiches

1 Ferry Building
San Francisco 94111

Phone: 866-328-3663
Website: www.taylorsrefresher.com

 

Garlic Fries Tossed in garlic butter & parsley ($2.99)

Fried Calamari With aioli & lemon ($6.49)

Onion Rings Thick, beer batter style ($3.99)

Chicken Fingers (2) served with honey mustard fries ($4.99)

Western Bacon Blue Ring – a burger topped with an onion ring, crumbled blue cheese, bacon, pickles, red onion & BBQ sauce on a toasted egg bun ($8.99)

Ahi Burger – Fresh Ahi tuna seared rare with ginger wasabi mayo & Asian slaw on a toasted egg bun ($13.99)

Blue Cheese Burger – topped with a pile of crumbled blue, lettuce, tomato, pickles & secret sauce on a toasted egg bun ($7.25)

A trip to The Bay just wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Ferry Building. The Astronomer and I had a ball there last spring pursuing the shops and sampling a plethora of gourmet goodness. Even though my aunt and uncle reside only a short drive from the Ferry Building, this was their first trip to the gastronomic Mecca. Since we were in the neighborhood, we picked up Cousin Timmy at SFSU to join us for lunch.

During my previous visit to the Ferry Building, The Astronomer and I constructed a multi-course lunch from a number of different vendors. This time, the majority of my family was in the mood for Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, so I figured it would be best to join them rather than venturing on my own. You know how it is in big groups…

I ordered the Ahi Burger, which was the priciest item on the menu. The seared tuna’s flesh was pleasantly pink and a refreshing alternative to a standard beef patty. I’ve consumed a lot of seared tuna in my days, but never in between two pieces of bread so I was pleasantly surprised by how well the combination worked. The slaw was crisp and dressed in a soy vinaigrette, while the ginger and wasabi mayonnaise was relatively mild. All of Taylor’s burgers are served on a toasted egg bun, which was terrific. Overall a solid burger, but perhaps priced a bit too high.

Uncle Brian enjoyed his Western Bacon Blue Ring enormously. The one bite I had was really great—the onion ring and BBQ sauce hit all the right flavors and textures. The burger reminded me of the ones served up at Carl’s Junior, but much more satisfying and dramatically less messy. Cousin Timmy ordered the Blue Cheese Burger, which he liked, but I didn’t get the impression that it blew him away. Cousins Megan and Madison both ate Chicken Fingers (surprise, surprise). The honey mustard sauce that accompanied the fingers was sweet, tangy, and so downright delectable that I had to dip everything in sight.

The table shared an order of garlic fries, calamari, and onion rings, which were all very good. My favorite was the onion rings, which were spectacular with ketchup. My uncle didn’t care much for the onion rings because the batter wasn’t crunchy enough for his tastes. Rather than serving neat little rings of calamari like most restaurants do, Taylor’s served up squid heads! The calamari was well-seasoned and softer than I expected. I’m not too big on fries, but the garlic fries held their own.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am definitely a fan of high-end renditions of classic American junk food.

Taylor's Automatic Refresher on Urbanspoon

Jul 2007

Canh Chua Chay – Vegetarian Sour Soup

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

  • 10 ounces mushroom vegetarian broth or vegetable broth
  • 20 ounces water
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 leek
  • 1 can pineapple chunks (with juice)
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Firm or extra firm tofu
  • Sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Mushroom seasoning or salt
  • Black pepper
  • Cilantro

Bring water and broth to a boil.

While waiting for the soup to boil, chop tomatoes into chunks or wedges, cube tofu, and slice leeks thinly (white part only). Once the soup is boiling, add in half a can of pineapple juice—save the pineapple chunks for later. Let the soup continue to boil for 5 minutes with a lid on.

Season the soup with sugar, soy sauce, and mushroom seasoning to suit your palate. The end result should be sour, but not unpleasantly so. My grandma likes to add a dash of vinegar to intensify the soup’s sourness. Once the soup is well-seasoned, add in vegetables, tofu, and pineapples. The exact amount of vegetables, tofu, and pineapples added to the soup is dependent on the prefernce of the cook.

Serve hot on top of rice and garnish with cilantro and a sprinkling of black pepper.

For Canh Chua Bac Ha, add button mushrooms and slices of bac ha, also known as Upright Elephant Ears, to the above recipe.

Jul 2007

Zibibbo – Palo Alto

July 7, 2007
Cuisine: Mediteranean, American (New)

430 Kipling Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Phone: 650-328-6722
Website: http://www.zibibborestaurant.com

Potato Rosemary Bread with butter (complimentary)

Iron Skillet Roasted Mussels with Lemon-Herb Butter ($12.95)

Roasted Corn on the Cob with Rosemary Harissa Butter ($5)

Baby Mixed Greens with Herb Goat Cheese Crouton and Mustard Vinaigrette ($7.95)

Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Pork Loin with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes ($17.50)

Antipasti – Roasted Baby Beets with Fresh Goat Cheese, Eggplant Caponata with Currants and Mint, Pork Pate with Grain Mustard and Cornichons ($14.95)

Chocolate Cake with Caramel Ice Cream ($9)

Before jetting off to Vietnam, I’m spending a month in California with my family. Hopefully after thirty days with me, they’ll miss me a little less when I’m gone. The weather has been unbeatable and I’m learning a lot about Vietnamese cooking from my grandma—hence the increased number of Vietnamese recipes on the site as of late. There’s a whole lot more to come!

On a recent weekend, I flew to the The Bay to spend time with my favorite aunt Thao, Uncle Brian, and Cousins Megan and Madison. The weather up north is too cool and breezy for me, but the company and food were absolute perfection. On the first evening of my visit, we drove to Palo Alto to dine at Zibibbo, which was named one of the 20 best American restaurants by the readers of Gourmet. Zibibbo’s website touts:

Palo Alto’s Zibibbo offers an inventive pan-Mediterranean menu that changes with the seasons in the tranquil surroundings of a renovated Victorian home. Its compass ranges from the Pillars of Hercules to the Golden Horn, offering foods from Spain, Morocco, Greece and Italy in addition to the Provençal-inspired dishes made famous by sister property Restaurant LuLu in San Francisco.

My aunt chose Zibibbo because she had a great experience on a previous visit with some friends. The restaurant’s space is roomy, well-lit, and has a lovely open kitchen complete with a rotisserie and coal oven. The laid back and classy vibe embodied the spirit of the cuisine.

We started with some complimentary potato and rosemary bread. The bread had a crusty exterior and mild flavor that leaned more toward potato than rosemary. The butter was rich and spread-able. Both my aunt and uncle enjoyed the bread and butter immensely.

At the suggestion of my aunt, my uncle and I shared the Iron Skillet Roasted Mussels with Lemon-Herb Butter for our appetizer. This was my first encounter with mussels not prepared in a white wine or tomato broth. The skillet preparations unleashed a smoky flavor on to the au naturale mussels and created a dry dish overall. The butter did not contain strong lemon and herb flavor and as a result, the dish was one dimensional.

My aunt created a vegetarian small plates experience by ordering the Roasted Corn on the Cob with Rosemary Harissa Butter and Baby Mixed Greens with Herb Goat Cheese Crouton and Mustard Vinaigrette for her “entrée”. The corn was generously buttered, delightfully robust, and crisp to the bite. I haven’t had corn this good since my trip to Iowa years ago. My aunt really enjoyed this selection and couldn’t stop raving about it during and after the meal. The mixed greens salad was fresh, but average. I didn’t get a bite of the crouton, but my aunt thought the goat cheese was too strong, while my uncle liked it quite a bit.

In the sharing mood, my uncle and I split the Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Pork Loin with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes for our entrée. The portions at Zibibbo are intentionally humongous to encourage family style eating. The pork loin lacked a distinct pomegranate and molasses flavor, but was a true standout regardless. The cuts of pork were moist and fatty in all the right places. The mashed potatoes were smooth, creamy, and worked well with the pork.

In addition to the pork loin, my uncle and I also shared an antipasti plate. I chose the Roasted Baby Beets with Fresh Goat Cheese and Eggplant Caponata with Currants and Mint, while my uncle selected the Pork Pate with Grain Mustard and Cornichons. The beets were simply prepared and a feast for the eyes and mouth. My aunt and uncle were not fans of the beets, so I ate the majority of them. The eggplant was sweet and refreshing due to the mint, but needed a vehicle of some sort, perhaps some crostini, to enhance the flavors. My uncle consumed most of the pate because I didn’t care much for it. He said the pate reminded him of the pate he enjoyed on a recent trip to Paris with my aunt.

My cousin Megan selected the Chocolate Cake with Caramel Ice Cream for dessert and devoured the bulk of it. The cake contained a molten center and was intensely chocolaty, but not too bitter for Megan’s sensitive palate. The caramel flavor in the ice cream was lacking, but Megan didn’t seem to mind because she ate every last drop.

Zibibbo on Urbanspoon