Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

18 Jan 2007

Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant – San Diego

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January 13, 2007
Cuisine: Chinese

3709 Convoy St # 101
San Diego, CA 92111

Phone: 858-565-6888
Website: www.emeraldrestaurant.com

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Course I: Vietnamese Appetizers: Cha, Shrimp, Octopus, Century Eggs, Jellyfish

Course II: Crispy Quail

Course III: Shrimp and Scallops with Broccoli

Course IV: Seafood Soup

Course V: Abalone with Shitake Mushrooms and Broccolini

Course VI: Lobster with Butter Sauce

Course VII: Steamed Whole Red Snapper with Ginger and Onions

Course VIII: Crispy Garlic Chicken

Course IX: Soft Noodles w/Mushroom & Yellow Leek

Course X: Shrimp and BBQ Pork Fried Rice

Course XI: Lingyoong Bau (Lotus Seed Buns)

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Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant was the site of my Grandpa’s 80th birthday soiree. The guest list numbered close to 100 and the food courses seemed endless. While there are definitely tastier options for Chinese food in San Diego, my family chose Emerald for its classy ambiance. Emerald was also the site of my aunt’s pre-wedding fete and my Grandma’s 70th birthday party.

Our feast began with some cold appetizers. I especially liked the octopus, century eggs, and jellyfish. It was my first time eating the blackened eggs and I liked them quite a bit, but I admit that the color is a bit off-putting.

I did not try the second course because friends of chicken rarely pique my interest. The third course, shrimp and scallops with broccoli, were very mild in flavor which is very uncharacteristic of Chinese food. I skipped the fourth course as well because I am not a big fan of seafood soup. My family loves this soup; hence we eat it every Christmas.

The fifth course of abalone was one of my favorites! It was my first time trying abalone, I thought it had a very pleasant taste and texture. The accompanying shitake mushrooms were also outstanding.

The lobster was also a standout. The meat was succulent and flavorful. I especially liked how the labor of eating lobster was non-existent because the lobster was disassembled in the kitchen.

The whole red snapper with ginger and onions was great too, but brother thought that it was overcooked. The taste of ginger was prominent throughout the dish and the soy based sauce flavored the fish well.

I didn’t have any of the crispy chicken during the actual dinner, but enjoyed some leftovers. While I am generally not a fan of chicken, these preparations were outstanding. I don’t know how the chefs did it, but the meat was very flavorful (and not just the skin). Well done.

The noodles and rice were very good as well, but I wish they were brought out first rather than last. Carbs and meat go hand in hand in Chinese food.

Our dessert was a type of baozi filled with sweetened Lotus seed paste and it was delicious. The dough was fluffy and the paste was just sweet enough. Most people passed on the baozi because we also had an amazing tiramisu. I had both.

Grandpa, cousins

Restaurant Review

15 Jan 2007

Alma de Cuba – Philadelphia

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Photos by ChrisinPhilly and Independent Camera

January 10, 2007
Cuisine: Cuban

1623 Walnut Street, Philadelphia 19103
At S 16th Street

Phone: 215-988-1799
Website: www.almadecubarestaurant.com

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Appetizer I: Fire and Ice Ceviche – fluke with preserved lemon, sage, hot garlic oil and crispy lemon rings ($12)

Appetizer II: Royal Palm Dates – almond stuffed dates wrapped in bacon with cabrales bleu cheese ($12)

Entree I: Tempura Avocado Salad – crab and grilled asparagus with watercress tossed with preserved lemon vinaigrette ($14)

Entree II: Sancocho De Pollo – coconut chicken broth with poached chicken slices, yuca, carrots cilantro green peas and a touch of lime juice ($9)

Entree III: Vaca Frita “Fried Cow” – twice cooked crispy skirt steak with onions and cuban oregano with black beans, white rice and tomato escabeche ($21)

Entree IV: Cilantro Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon – served over a banana lentil salad with fresh horseradish cream ($23)

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My friends the Marathoner v.1 (James) and the Marathoner v.2 (Paul) are leaving for Buenos Aires next week and will be living there for four months. We sat down for some much needed face time over a meal at Alma de Cuba. Alex Elkins joined us as well.

Unfortunately, Paul and Alex weren’t hungry, which made the Marathoner and I feel a bit funny for ordering up a storm. But we got over that pretty quickly.

One of my favorite things about Alma de Cuba is their complimentary bread; it’s simply incredible. The bread’s texture is dense and tastes mildly sweet. The bread is served with an oil-based dipping sauce, but I find it most delicious eaten plain. My friends enjoyed the bread as well.

The Marathoner and I ordered two appetizers. I chose the Fire and Ice ceviche because I had it once prior with Liana and loved it. The Marathoner ordered the stuffed dates because the combination of ingredients piqued his interest. The ceviche did not disappoint, it was refreshing and delicate. The fluke was tender and the crispy lemon rings were intense. Mmm. The stuffed dates were awesome as well and served atop a piece of endive with chopped red onions and a light vinaigrette. The salty bacon wrapped around the sweet date along with the pungent bleu cheese created a divine collection of flavors. Delicious!

For our entrees, Paul ordered a salad, Alex got the soup, the Marathoner ordered the salmon, and I got the vaca frita. Paul liked his salad except for the tempura avocado, he said it tasted a bit too much like deep fried butter. Alex enjoyed his soup after he discovered that it wasn’t cream-based.

The Marathoner’s salmon had definite highs and lows . The fish was fresh, the lentils were tasty (and cute), and the banana brought about an unexpected and welcomed sweetness. Unfortunately, the mustard seeds atop the fish along with the horseradish sauce were too strong for our palettes and took away from the dish overall.

I ordered the vaca frita in order to compare it to the version I had in Little Havana this past summer. The presentation at Alma de Cuba was much more beautiful than the one in Little Havana and the meat was of higher quality. The meat was wonderfully crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and very flavorful. The onions and tomato escabeche were a bit on the tart side, but the rice and beans were good. The sides at Alma were decent, but not as tasty as the ones in Little Havana. Fried sweet plantains should always accompany vaca frita.

Restaurant Review

15 Jan 2007

Trattoria Marcella – St. Louis

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January 5, 2007
Cuisine: Italian

3600 Watson
St. Louis, MO 63109

Phone: 314-352-7706
Website: http://www.trattoriamarcella.com/

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Appetizer I: Fresh baked bread served with hummus (complimentary)

Appetizer II: Home-Made Toasted Ravioli – Slow Braised Seasoned Beef filled Ravioli, made the old fashioned way, by hand, lightly breaded and toasted, served with Tomato Sauce ($8.99)

Entree: Grilled duck breast served with sauteed wild mushrooms and farro risotto with butternut squash ($17.50)

Contorni I: Freshly made whole wheat pasta with white sauce ($5.99)

Contorni II: Baby greens, candied pecans, goat cheese, and beets with a balsamic dressing ($7.50)

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Growing up in St. Louis, my love of pasta and Italian food in general had not yet fully developed, so I failed to take advantage of many of the city’s wonderful Italian restaurants. Upon returning to visit, I was therefore excited to try some of the best that St. Louis had to offer. The heart of the city’s Italian community lives in a neighborhood called The Hill, but we finally chose a restaurant called Trattoria Marcella located several blocks away. It was an excellent decision–the Gastronomer is a genius at finding good restaurant advice on the message boards. The food was subtly flavored and ridiculously delicious, comparable to meals we’ve had in Philadelphia for twice the price. We’re still trying to figure out how St. Louis restaurants manage to make such classy food so affordable. Alabama should take notes. Anyway, we enjoyed it thoroughly while we were there.

While we waited for our food at Trattoria Marcella, we snacked on fresh bread with hummus. I’m normally not a big fan of hummus, but Trattoria Marcella’s was spectacular. The Gastronomer and I quickly consumed all of our bread and asked for more.

As a child in St. Louis, my favorite food was toasted ravioli. Legend has it that this local delicacy was invented when a cook at a restaurant on The Hill accidentally dropped some normal beef ravioli into a pile of bread crumbs. Inspiration struck, and instead of discarding the sullied ravioli he decided to deep-fry it, thereby initiating one of the great breakthroughs in culinary history. Trattoria Marcella had homemade toasted ravioli on the menu as an appetizer, so of course we had to order some. They were larger and more delicately constructed than the standard store-bought variety, but I couldn’t decide for sure whether I liked them better. In any case, it was an ideal start to the meal.

Things only got better from there. The Gastronomer and I spent quite a while deciding what to order; we felt we ought to try one of the special homemade pasta offerings, but the Gastronomer was having difficulty finding the perfect dish. Fortunately, the pasta side dishes came to the rescue. Every restaurant should offer this menu option–I believe that a good meat dish could almost always be improved by the addition of pasta. We ordered the homemade whole wheat fettucine with white sauce. It was excellent; the pasta tasted quite wheaty (in a good way), and I always appreciate a creamy white sauce. To supplement the pasta, the Gastronomer ordered a salad with beets, pecans, and goat cheese, thus initiating a beet-eating streak that would continue for three consecutive days. I passed on the beets, as I disagree with her assessment that they are “pleasant.” However, I did find the candied pecans, greens, and goat cheese to be delicious.

For my entree, I chose the grilled duck breast served on farro risotto with butternut squash. The dish came with a generous helping of mushrooms that I cheerfully handed over to the Gastronomer. The duck itself was awesome. It was incredibly tender and wonderfully flavored, and the risotto complemented it well. I loved the sweetness of the squash mixed in with the other flavors. It all came together to create one of my favorite meals in recent memory. Both of us were stuffed from gorging on bread, so we didn’t order desert.

In summary, Trattoria Marcella lived up to its billing as one of the top restaurants in St. Louis, offering possibly the most bang-for-buck that we have ever experienced at a restaurant. We enthusiastically recommended it to my family when they came to visit St. Louis the following weekend, and they had a similarly delightful experience.