What Happens in Vegas, Goes to Straight to My @$$

Before I moved to New Orleans, I promised to say good-bye to the Western United States the proper way. Thus, I stayed for a week in the Wynn Hotel and Casino. Unfortunately, I paid for it dearly. Both out-of-pocket and straight-onto-my-behind.

My entire experience can be summed up into thirteen eloquent words: "I friggin' ate Kobe beef and foie gras in one day! Whoa mama!" Despite these articulate words, PETA would have had a field-day on my face if they knew what I consumed at Vegas.

When a friend and I first arrived at the Wynn, my friend and I began our day with a few simple breakfast items. A spot of tea. Some fresh fruit. And a breakfast bagel. Quite good, but nothing blogworthy.

We followed up on our uneventful breakfast with a late lunch at Okada, a nice (but not entirely "upscale") restaurant in the Wynn. There, we temporarily appeased our voracious appetites with a warm bowl heaping with salted edamame beans. We pulled the edamame pods between the rows of our clenched teeth and munched heartily on the firm and verdant legumes, in eager anticipation of our next course.

For me, I stuck to the not-so-basic, and daringly ordered seared foie gras with barbequed eel, braised daikon, and leek-miso mustard.

Now I am not an avid fan of foie gras, but I actually was hypnotized by the contrasting textures of the duck liver. The foie gras was creamy and supple in the interior, yet caramelized and hardened at the edges. It was not grainy, tough, or overcooked, but possessed a subtle, milky, and custard-like texture. Unfortunately, the foie gras was a tad overpowered by a sodium-enriched liquid, which seemed as if it mainly consisted of soy sauce, soy sauce, and concentrated soy sauce. The alleged "mustard" was undetectable to my naked taste buds. However, the softened cubes of braised daikon and the intricate rectangles of crisp noodle skins were delicious accompaniments.

My friend and I shared the Chilean sea bass in a yuzu-soy sauce with braised taro and wild mushrooms. The sea bass came wrapped in parchment paper that had been twisted at the ends into a savory package reminiscent of a hard peppermint candy. As I opened the paper package, I was greeted with soft and gentle billows of steam. The fish meat was delicate and tender and it trembled slightly with the smallest disturbance. As excellent fish does, it melted in my mouth like a snowflake melts on one's tongue.

However, our day of sinful indulgence and decadence was not over yet. For dinner, my friend and I ambled on over to The Country Club: A New American Steakhouse, in the Wynn. There, I started with an appetizer of sea scallops and roasted artichokes bathing gently in a sweet pea ver jus. The scallops looked like amusingly stumpy marshmallows, and were tender and fresh with the essence of the sea. Similarly, the texture of the artichoke hearts was akin to that of a warm and fluffy baked potato.

But the most memorable item of the entire Vegas trip was my main dish that evening: I ordered a five-ounce serving of kobe beef (off the menu).

That evening, my Kobe beef cherry was popped.

I remember letting the first bite-sized portion of Kobe beef sit in my mouth without chewing. As greasy, yet immaculately tender portion of meat sat motionless in my mouth. Like a child with a tablespoon of goopy Robitussin in her mouth, I didn't know whether to swallow or let it sit there. I didn't want to do either.

Thankfully, I can't adequately describe what eating Kobe beef is like. But it actually wasn't a pleasant experience for me. Imagine scooping up a spoonful of butter that has been sitting on the counter that day and smearing it all over the walls of your mouth. Or squeezing a piece of spongy, oil-saturated bread into a fist-sized ball and swallowing it one whole gulp. Weird? Definitely. But I promise you my friends, that is what Kobe beef tastes like. And for even for a Passionate Eater, 5 ounces was too much.

Soul Food Is "Well with My Soul"

When I heard that New Orleans is home to the best fried chicken in United States, I vowed to gain at least 10lbs in my quest to consume this so-called "equivalent-to-experiencing-euphoria-on-earth" chicken.

Recognized by the James Beard Foundation and dubbed by Bon Appetit magazine, the Washington Post, and thousands of New Orleans locals as serving the "best" fried chicken in America, Willie Mae's Scotch House is a beacon for the people of New Orleans. Willie Mae's Scotch House was devastated in the Hurricane Katrina, but with the help of dedicated volunteers , the restaurant has recently reemerged with newfound vitality and vigor. However, if it hadn't been for the donations and the generous assistance of volunteers (many of whom were loyal customers), the famed New Orleans eatery would likely have ended.

Before coming to New Orleans, I knew of a Willie May who played for the San Francisco Giants, but I didn't know the Willie Mae who made fried chicken. I am glad that I do now. Willie Mae Seaton founded the legendary soul food outpost in New Orleans in the 1950s and has maintained or overseen the family-run business till today. Now, in her early nineties, she is one of the most lovingly regarded individuals in the New Orleans community, not only because of her welcoming and gracious demeanor, but also because of her uncanny ability to cook up unbelievably good-tasting food.

Her simplified, no-frills menu offers the staple soul food items. Although there wasn't even a menu when I was there, but the waitress adeptly communicated the restaurant's offerings via word of mouth. Based on the offerings, my dining companion and I ordered white rice, shredded green beans, and butter beans to accompany our fried chicken.

At Willie Mae's, each side worked in tandem with one another. The fork-fluffed grains of white rice acted as perfect sponges to sop up the warm and hearty gravy exuded by the slow-cooked butter beans. And the shredded green beans were just as I like them, cooked for a long duration of time until limp and slightly yellowed, but flavorful and tender to the bite.

In appearance, butter beans are shaped like a flattened, pressed bean, with a structure akin to a lima bean, but beans are the color and consistency of a rich seafood bisque.

But, as to be expected, the chicken took center stage. One nibble of the crackly fried batter cloaking the chicken, and I understood that the fried chicken is "hella" good. And the gorgeous appearance of the chicken correlates with the unreal taste. When I closely inspected my thigh piece, I was amazed by the intricate patterns the batter made when it solidified in the bubbling oil. The golden-fried chicken skin had formed into gnarled, paisley-patterned wisps, and was crunchier than a bubbly pork rind. Each battered nib that I picked off of the hot chicken piece packed a full-bodied, spicy bite, and thus channeled the classic "heat" unique to the bayou. Furthermore, the chicken flesh hidden snugly wrapped within the crackly skin exterior was tender, supple, and literally exploding with juices and flavor.

At Willie Mae's, there is nothing to debunk as unceremonious hype--Willie Mae's recognition for serving the "best" fried chicken in the United States is well-deserved. In San Francisco, the cuisine is provocative, edgy, and innovative. In New Orleans, the cuisine is soothing, generous, and homey. Thanks to people and time-honored institutions like Willie Mae's, I hope it will remain that way.

Have It Your Way. Literally.

A few days before I was scheduled to fly out to New Orleans, Custom Burger / Lounge, a new eatery, opened up within one block of my workplace. The San Francisco Chronicle lauded the restaurant for being half-lounge, half-burger joint. Indeed, Custom Burger is a gourmet version of Fuddruckers, if you will.

I am all about customization. Just look at my vehicle. I might not have a gold-plated grill, spinning hubcaps, painted flames, or a upward-reaching foil, but I do have a pine tree-shaped air freshener and two plush dice dangling from the rear view mirror. Thus, I knew that I would like Custom Burger, where I could choose everything and anything for my burger lunch.

When I arrived at the restaurant for lunch on opening day, I was surprised by the significant line. However, the burgers are made-to-order, so a wait is more or less to be expected. Even with the wait (and the extended time to review the menu), I still had trouble deciding what to order. After much agonizing and indecisiveness, I finally decided that my burger would be made of an Angus beef patty with a rosemary focaccia bun and creamy blue cheese sauce. For my three toppings, I opted for balsamic marinated onions, sauteed mushrooms, and arugula.

Thankfully, my selected toppings melded together well. The balsamic marinated onions were supple and pleasantly acidic. The deep, bronzed color of the onions reminded me of a comforting bowl of warm French onion soup. The fresh arugula provided a verdant color and a biting and taste bud-awakening zestiness to my burger. Finally, the concentrated and meaty flavors in the sauteed mushrooms accentuated the smoky aroma from the Angus beef patty.

My open-faced burger was served in a wire basket with a plastic cup of the blue cheese sauce on the side. I was afraid the blue cheese sauce would overpower the other ingredients, however, the blue cheese crumbles were heavily diluted in mayonnaise. Thus, the sauce befittingly acted as the "back-up vocals" to the other powerful flavors in my burger.

I also tried the tower of beer-battered onion rings, and the "half and half" order of fries, which included sea salted skin-on potato fries and sweet potato fries. Thankfully, the sweet potato fries were crisp and freshly fried, not limp and lifeless. However, I was a little put off by the uneven clumps of batter on the sweet potato fries. The regular fries were unremarkable, but were paired pleasantly with the burger.

The "towering" presentation of the onion rings was amusing, and, just as I like 'em, the piping hot onion string inside slid out easily from the breaded onion ring tunnels.

My only beef with Custom Burger (pun intended), is that it wasn't really "custom" for two of my friends and fellow diners. My friends ordered the sesame bun, but were given the plain bun instead. Similarly, a bun substitution also happened to Bunrab!

Despite those shortcomings, if I was in the area, I think I would "lounge" around Custom Burger again.

Cafe Du Monde Rocks My "Monde"

I am still in the arduous process of unpacking and acclimating to New Orleans (literally, the humidity is killing me), but I wanted to take a moment to share with you about a fabulous way to taste the the City of New Orleans.

A visit to New Orleans is not complete if you do not sample the illustrious Cafe Du Monde beignets (pronounced "been-yay") in the French Quarter.

A beignet is a doughy square that has been deep-fried until it has inflated into a golden-brown pillow of spongy, soft cake-like bread. Unlike a glazed Krispy Kreme donut with its glistening sheen, a beignet is not light or airy, and does not go down "smooth" without the need to chew. Unlike a danish or croissant, a beignet is not buttery, flaky, or overly rich. Rather, it is like a piping hot funnel cake freshly fried at the state fair. When you bite into a beignet, expect to be greeted with a hearty crunch as you break open the textured surface. The interior will release a plume of steam and I am sure you will be taken aback by the deep nooks, pockets, and tiny tunnels made by the yeast in the beignet. Although the fried beignet bread is good enough to eat alone, Cafe Du Monde generously blankets the hot fritters with mini-mountains of powdered confectioner's sugar. If you order the beignets take out, they provide you with a one to two pound bag of powdered sugar for you to "do the honors" yourself.

The classic accompaniment to a beignet, is Cafe Du Monde's cafe au lait, which is made with whole milk, ground coffee beans, and chicory. I am unfamiliar with chicory, but I must say, I was amazed at how silken and sweet the coffee was. I needed to be repeatedly convinced by our server that there was no sugar in the coffee. The coffee was fragrant and full-bodied, and as my friend the Taste Tester says about her wine, the coffee went down with a "smooth finish." There was no trace of bitterness or burnt coffee grounds at all.

If you are in the area, stop by Cafe Du Monde at any time of the day. They are open 24 hours--merci mon dieu for that!

Je Suis Arrivée

I arrived in New Orleans earlier this week, and I have already gorged myself on some of the best eats of the City, including warm Cafe Du Monde beignets generously dusted with powdered sugar, fried chicken fresh from the fryer at Willie Mae's Scotch House, huge sloppy oysters at Acme Oyster House, and a velvety and hearty gumbo at Emeril's NOLA. Pictures and reviews are coming soon--as soon as I move in my new place and get settled down. Thank you for your patience, I can't wait to share with you my stories of the Big Easy!

Leaving My ♥ in San Francisco #5: Taqueria Stalker-ia

One thing I will miss profoundly when I leave San Francisco, is "the San Francisco taqueria."

Everyone has their opinion on what they believe is the best taqueria in San Francisco. One of my close friends says she will live and die eating at only Gordo's Taqueria. On the other hand, three of my other male friends swear by El Farolito Taqueria. The beau likes La Taqueria. Personally, I am a devoted groupie of Pancho Villa Taqueria (the one in the Mission District, and not the Financial District). I am not kidding when I say that with one bite of a burrito from Pancho Villa, you will experience euphoria and be transported to the celestial throne above.

Despite one's personal taqueria preferences, I believe that almost every taqueria in the Mission District of San Francisco has something unique to offer, be it juicy chunks of immaculately seasoned, char-grilled carne asada; authentic slow-cooked pinto beans; hand-pulled tendrils of pork shoulder, or even a motley mariachi band--every taqueria has a distinctive specialty to draw repeat customers. If you are a tourist or a San Francisco native, you should try as many San Francisco taquerias as you can before you decide on the one that best suits your fancy. Although you can take recommendations from others, listen to your own tastebuds first.

Leaving My ♥ in San Francisco #4: The Food Bloggers

Because of a recent death in the family and the demands of my move to New Orleans later this month, I won't be posting often until the end of this summer. But I want to take this time to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and share with you a moment that made me realize that the best part of being a food blogger is the people, my friends.

This last Sunday, I finally met five of my absolute-favorite-food bloggers for brunch in one of San Francisco's most culinarily savvy destinations, the Mission District. In addition to their taquerias, the Mission District is known for its many critically respected restaurants, markets, and food businesses including Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina, Bar Tartine, Tartine Bakery, Bi-Rite Market, and Bi-Rite Creamery. (Notice a "duplicative" trend here?) The great part about it is, that all of the above-mentioned business are all within walking distance of each other. We ultimately dined at Maverick in the Mission.

The bloggers in attendance at the brunch were those who I had come to admire greatly over the course of these two years. Best of all, Chubbypanda (from Orange County) wrote me and informed me that he would be attending a wedding in the Bay Area and that he would make a special trip out to meet me. The San Francisco food bloggers included: the Bunrabs, the Food Hoe, and the Single Guy Chef.

I arrived extra early. I was seated with my back to the door, so one-by-one, I caught the food bloggers enter the dining area curiously craning their necks to catch an initial glimpse of my face. I am sure they were thinking of the line in Forrest Gump, that meeting online friends face-to-face "is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get! ...Especially with Passionate Eater!"

Unfortunately, the CalTrain ran late and delayed the awaited arrival of Chubbypanda and his wife. But as soon as he arrived, the party began. The food bloggers were ebullient and lively and our laughter reverberated across the table. Everyone was riveted by the conversations led by Mr. Bunrab and Chubbypanda--honestly, they possess a wealth of knowledge beyond comprehension! Also, I couldn't stop staring in amazement at how beautiful all of the food bloggers were. I remember thinking to myself, "Shoot, if this is always going to be the case, I need to meet more food bloggers!"

Several of the food bloggers brought me wonderful and thoughtful gifts, including gourmet specialty salt, huge packages of roasted coffee beans, and a stunning box full of colorful manju. The sweet bean paste within the manju cakes was thick, smooth, and full-flavored. It was the best manju I have ever had.

Although I won't get into great detail about the food that afternoon, I will say that food bloggers make the best company EVER, and they would make any food taste good.

I ordered the Texan migas, or scrambled eggs with made with crispy strips of deep-fried tortilla. The migas were served with a neighboring pile of firm black beans. The beans themselves weren't sandy, mushy, or overcooked, but they were a little bit more al dente than I would have liked. . . And because I love scrambled eggs, pico de gallo salsa, and guacamole so much, I do wish the portions were a tad larger.

The beau ordered the cornmeal pancakes with the chicken and apple sausage. Initially, I disappointed with his selection because I was afraid that the coarse, individually-textured grains of cornmeal would violate the "required" soft and spongy interior of pancakes. But the pleasantly sweet pancakes were so fluffy, moist, and cakey, that syrup was unnecessary.

I also snapped photos of the two brunch dishes of the food bloggers sitting next to me. Chubbypanda ordered eggs benedict with fried cubes of breakfast potatoes and andouille sausage,

And the Single Guy Chef ordered poached eggs over duck confit hash, which was made with oyster mushrooms and potatoes, in a mushroom cream sauce.

My blurry photos pale in comparison with the other food bloggers, so check out their posts now!

After we finished our brunch, no one wanted the afternoon to end, so we strolled over to the nearby Bi-Rite Creamery and Tartine Bakery to grab a late-afternoon snack. Unfortunately, the beau had to make an urgent stop at the restroom, and since there were no available public restrooms in the immediate vicinity, the food bloggers graciously waited in Bi-Rite Market as he used the facilities in Pizzeria Delfina.

We eventually made it to Bi-Rite Creamery. Despite the gloomy weather outside, we all ordered multiple scoops of their decadent ice cream. I ordered one scoop of caramel ice cream with fleur de sel and one scoop of chai tea latte ice cream. Both icy orbs were creamy, melt-in-your mouth deliciousness. I couldn't taste the fleur de sel at all--the salt enhanced the already full-bodied flavors of the cream and caramel.

After we polished off our ice cream, we entertained the idea of grabbing chocolate eclairs at Tartine Bakery. We waited in their line for a few minutes, but because most of us had already unbuckled our pants, we decided against our food blogger instincts and call it a day.

Thank you so much, to all of you who came to wish me good-bye at brunch! Also, I want to send a heartfelt "thank you" to my precious friends who read and comment on my site. I couldn't even begin to explain how much every comment, every visit, and every person means to me. I am so honored by your friendship. I am also deeply touched by the outpouring of support and kindness from everyone regarding my move away from San Francisco.

My tear ducts will continue to work over time this month, that is for sure!

In Pictures: Free Food Bonanza at the Google Picnic 2007

On Thursday of last week, my friend called me up to invite me to the Google Summer Picnic. (He is also the one who invited me to the Google Holiday Party.) Our conversation went as follows:

Friend: Girl, wanna go to the Google Picnic with me? I know you've never eaten at Google before, so now is your chance. The picnic is on a work day, and several other people already told me that they wouldn't come with me. Plus, I know you're busy with planning for you move, so if you can't come, it's not a prob.

Me: Shut up fool! You know I am on that free food like nobody's business! That's me knocking on your door right now! I'll take the week off if I can eat at Google!

Hmm . . . Okay, that write-up of that conversation was lame. But the point is, is that one of my primary goals before I left the Bay Area was to eat at the famed Google complex, where there is free organic food galore. In fact, Google was voted the top employer in Fortune magazine, in part because of their (generous) free food provisions to their employees. I've heard that the food there is prepared by renowned chefs and that the employee cafeterias are so popular, that Google feeds more than 100% of their employees every day (the employees bring guests). There is even an oyster bar and and sashimi bar. Given all of the praise for Google food, I was going to eat there, come hell or high-water.

And eat I did.

While my friend registered and began to play in the "Google-employees-only poker tournament," I sprinted like a psychotic madwoman towards the buffet tables. As I made my way (kicking and shoving) to the food area, I grabbed a container of golden waffle-cut fries and a cup of ice-lemonade from the stands near the entrance of the park-area.

I noticed that the picnic caterers were working furiously in the food stands, monitoring the metallic tubs of bubbling hot oil and shaking steel wire baskets full of fries and dripping with oil over the tubs. Situated next to the fries were several fondue pots filled with topping for the fries, including ketchup, nacho cheese sauce, black beans, and ranch dressing.

My next stop was the hot dog area, where they had mountains of gorgeous hot dogs piled in the metal serving trays. Similar to the fries, the hot dog were also adjacent to a "topping area" with square bowls containing sweet pickle relish, mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut, and minced red onions.

In addition with the hot dogs, they also had an ugly-lookin' barbecued tofu alternative for the vegetarians. C'mon, could you make it a "little" more attractive folks? . . . Just kidding, it looked good enough.

Before I even walked through the entire picnic area, I had greedily consumed three chicken and apple sausages with shredded sauerkraut and onions, a whole paper tray full of waffle-cut fries with nacho cheese sauce, and chugged a chilled cup of frozen lemonade. But little did I know, that the other side of the park had more food! Seriously, Google is crazy in terms of supplying their employees with food. By the time I realized there was more food, I was already full, so unfortunately I didn't have the stomach to try everything. But I did try and snap pictures of the remainder, including:

tender lemongrass pork riblettes,

shredded green papaya salad with Thai lime vinaigrette and toasted peanuts,

lavash rolls, filled with with roasted red pepper, thinly sliced cucumber, mixed organic greens, harissa, and herbed cream cheese,

grilled tandoori chicken skewers,

bite-sized vegetable samosas stuffed with curried potatoes, cauliflower, and peas,

all-American macaroni salad,

marinated kidney, wax, and green bean salad with crinkle-cut carrots,

fresh antipasto-like zucchini and red bell pepper salad,

rich chocolate brownies dusted with powdered sugar,

baked white chocolate chip cookies,

"spoonable" apple cobbler, and

deep-fried sesame pastry balls filled with red bean paste.

And cotton candy!!

After I finished exploring the picnic area and met up with my friend again, I kissed his feet in gratitude. Although I didn't eat every item at the picnic, I was satisfied to the extreme. The hot dogs were better than Costco's--and you know that is saying a lot! I also had a great time walking around the premises, exploring the food options, and admiring the food. Overall, the caterers did a relatively okay job in the innovativeness and flavor of the dishes, keeping the food warm, and preserving the texture of the food items in the outdoor setting. Although some items may have been a little mediocre, flavorless, and tepid, I was still overjoyed with the "free food" experience. Thanks Google for feeding me, a freeloader, on Friday!

Also, thanks for understanding my busy schedule and staying tuned despite my lack of posts and comments recently. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I can't wait to be back to blogging regularly.