Egalitarian Dinning: My Dinner at Commonwealth

For my upcoming birthday, my parents offered to take me out to dinner when my family came to San Francisco. Now I had a big decision to make. This provided me with a chance to enjoy a nice meal on someone else's dime but I had to keep the costs in the realm of reason-i.e. no Michael Mina, no Coi. I wanted a place that utilized molecular gastronomy techniques rarely employed by local Seattle establishments or some crazy Japanese restaurant that dished up edgy foodie favorites like chicken tartare(i.e. Ippaku). I read that Commonwealth on Mission provided a cutting edge tasting menu for a reasonable price ($65 for five courses). Given that my parents were a little wary of my ethnic restaurant choices since the whole gelatinous blood cube incident, I decided that Commonwealth was the choice that would make both of us happy.

We had an early reservation of 5:30 and found parking right around the corner-a miracle in the Mission. However, Commonwealth does have a parking lot that you can pay $5 dollars to park in (not very egalitarian). The interior had that generic minimalist look that most restaurants of its ilk sport these days. You know the look-hard wood tables, open kitchen, etc. We were seated in a nice corner table and presented with bowl of house made chips and a sea salt/vinegar foam alolli dipping sauce. The chips were delicious and the foam had that proper vinegar/garlic tang without the richness of a traditional alolli. The foam theme would continue throughout the course of the evening. After pursuing both the tasting menu and the ala carte menu we decided to go for gusto- we chose the tasting menu($65-with $10 dollars given to charity-the egalitarian component) and the accompanying wine pairing($30). My parents decided to make a substitution of the fried game hen instead of the sweetbreads(even after I explained to them they were not brains but a rather a gland).

The first stop on the tasting menu was an amuse bouche of albacore sashimi accompanied by single slice of cucumber and a cucumber flavored gelatin strip (think breath strip). The wine pairing was a Spanish cava that made for a bubbly beginning of our meal. The cucumber and albacore worked together to cleanse the palate of the salty chips that we devoured earlier. No hint of that fishy taste that albacore so often has. My dad enjoyed it as well and then enjoyed my mother's who is no fan of raw fish.

Local Albacore Sashimi with Cucumber Gelatin

The next dish was the Foie Gras Mousse Cannoli accompanied by a side salad of wild greens and figs. I had high hopes for this dish and it was really the determiner of selecting the tasting menu instead of choosing dishes off the ala carte menu. While the structure was executed well, the brioche cannoli shell and its foie gras mousse filling did not have a lot of flavor. I was looking for the fatty richness of the foie gras to come through but instead the flavors were very muted. My favorite component was the accompanying fig salad that brought a welcome earthiness to the dish and help compensate for the lack of ummph in the "cannoli" itself. The wine pairing was a Chenin Blanc(Charles Bove '10 Vouvray, France) that was light and crisp and paired well with the dish.

Foie Gras Mousse 

Following the somewhat disappointing cannoli came the big surprise hit of the evening-the Pumpkin and Asian Pear Salad. The salad consisted of spherical pieces of both Pear and Pumpkin resting on a bed of chicory and idiazabal cheese. The pumpkin was warm and savory while the pear was cool and crisp. Combined with a decadent molten idiazabal cheese (which apparently is turned into a type of fondue...see here) and some bittersweet chocolate all of the flavors and textures of the dish came wonderfully.  The wine pairing was a white Rhone blend from the Sierra Foothills that balanced sweet and savor elements of the dish. (La Clarine Farm 10' Sierra Foothills )    

Pumpkin

The next dish was another intriguing combination of flavors and textures but did not come together as well as the pumpkin salad. It was an oyster stew of sorts that was a combination of potatoes, lettuce, freeze dried bacon, poached oysters swimming in a pea green turnip-borage soup. Certainly the most complex dish of the evening with crystals that exploded with bacon goodness and an accompanying lemon foam. But it didn't really work for me. The room temperature oysters and the hot potatoes just made for an odd combination. I appreciated the ambition of this dish, I just wished I enjoyed it more. The wine pairing was a Picpoul that like all of the pairings worked wonderfully with the dish. (Picpoul De Pinet Felines Jourdan '10 Langedoc France)

Oyster

After diving deep into molecular gastronomy ocean, the next course was a welcome more traditional offering. It was sweetbreads paired with a corn pudding and padron peppers which have been ubiquitous on menus this season. My parents substituted a game hen instead of the sweetbreads which had a similar rustic flavor profile and was a good substitution. The fried torchons of game hen that my parents had were flavorful morsels of juicy dark meat. The sweetbreads were nuggets of goodness, but the extremely small portion made it feel more like a first or second course than a main. Also, I keep thinking about how much better the sweetbreads were that I had at Bayona in New Orleans all those years ago. The wine pairing was the best of the night(and the first red). We had a lovely Monastrell that worked well with both dishes without being too jammy as this varietal can be. (Primitivo Quiles Raspay '04 Alicante Spain)

After a sorbet palate cleanser, we got to the real main event which was the peanut butter semifreddo with frozen popcorn. The frozen popcorn was nothing to write home about but the semifreddo was amazing. It was like a dove bar on steroids. Covered in a chocolate ganache that shattered to reveal a decadent peanut butter/ice cream mix that had the perfect semi-firm texture. There was no debate at the table about this one, we quickly devoured our plates despite all of the other dishes the preceded it. The wine pairing was a port that was not overly sweet and worked with the dish, but I wish they had thought of a more creative pairing for such a fun dessert. One of their specialty cocktails perhaps.

Semifreddo

Overall, the meal satisfied the craving I had for something more adventurous. The tasting menu was definitely hit or miss however. There are so many good restaurants in the Bay Area that Commonwealth will not be at the top of my list to revisit anytime soon.  But if you are in San Francisco, and don't live near a world class food city, then I recommend that you consider Commonwealth for a foray into molecular gastronomy.

Vancouver Day 3 or the Night of a 1,000 Izakaya

For our last full day in Vancouver, I decided to go all Asian. Dim Sum for lunch and not one, not two but three izakaya (Japanese Pub) for dinner. This was the part of the trip that I had been planning for months. I had gotten a recommendation from a co-worker for the Dim Sum restaurant and researched Vancouver's Izakaya by reading dozens of posts, blogs, and articles. We would eat extremely well on Day 3 but many of the highlights were not of the culinary variety. 

We started the day shopping for tourist swag such as a Canadian polo for the father in law. If we saw someone buying the American equivalent we would laugh at them, but if it has a maple leaf it is suddenly acceptable. As part of our journey, we came across the 2010 Olympic Torch which is far less impressive that you might imagine; a jagged pseudo crystalline structure with spires that resembled something you might find in Superman’s fortress of solitude. One thing I noticed while walking around the heart of downtown Vancouver was the plethora of food trucks offer a variety enticing eats.

Looks like something from Final Fantasy...

The carts would have to wait for another time, as I had my sights set on the legendary Dim Sum of Richmond, a city directly below Vancouver (and home to Vancouver's airport). Richmond is home base for the BC's sizable Cantonese population; refugees from Hong Kong in the 80's and 90's that weren't down with the People's Republic of China. As result of this mass infux, the number of Dim Sum restaurants in this area had exploded creating a real Chinatown. I had gotten a tip from a co-worker that Red Star on Granville close to the Richmond/Vancouver border was one of the best. It took a good 30 minutes to get from our apartment all the way to the other end of the city where Red Star was located. At first glance Red Star does not look like much, it was part of a late 1970's/early 1980's era mixed use office/retail building that over the decades had become "asianfied" with a variety of various far-east orientated establishments. After navigating through the clusterfuck that was their underground parking lot (a word of advice, never try parking in a lot devoted to a Dim Sum restaurant if at all possible) we headed in. It was almost 1:30pm on a Friday, but the place was still packed. I started wondering if I should have made a reservation, but luckily we were seated right away at the last table in the house. Unlike the Dim Sum Houses of San Francisco, Red Star utilzed a card based ordering systems instead of the familiar roaming carts, but with over a hundred options available I was still very impressed even if it lacked the visual stimulation of a pushy server trying to force their wares upon you ( I don't want chicken feet dammit..stop asking me).


We settled on six eclectic dishes (i.e. no shumai, no steamed pork buns). The first to arrive was the least interesting. The E-Fu Noodle Hot Pot with Seafood ($7.95) contained what appeared to be fresh house made noodles and a light assortment of shrimp and shellfish, but lacked any real flavor whatsoever. The kitchen really showed it stripes in the next dish that arrived-String Beans with Minced Pork and Dry Olive Sauce ($7.95) . If you have eaten at any anglofied chinese place in the last twenty five years you seen some bastardized version of a Szchewan Green Bean dish on the menu. Now imagine that dish taken to whole another level. This version had lightly wok fried green beans that maintained their structural integrity but were not underdone. Instead of being drowned in a starchy MSG laden sauce, these bean were infused with the flavors of the dried olives and adorned with camaralized nuggets of pork goodness. The steamed crystal prawn dumplings($5.25) were a big hit as well. A airy prawn filling within a light pillowy wrapper made for a clean tasting dumpling unlike the dense mealy shrimpish ones that your run of the mill Dim Sum house serves. These were so light that I could have eaten another dozen. Clean tastes and a lack of grease were trademarks of the remaining dishes that came out of the kitchen. A slightly spicy steamed sparerib dish($4.75) and an oddly gelatinous but tasty Beef Meatball dish($4.75) continued our glutinous lunch. After stuffing our faces for fifteen minutes, our last dish finally arrived-a fluffy rice roll with a generous portion of BBQ pork and greens($5.50). I managed to find that last ounce of room in my stomach to finish off the roll and waddled out of Red Star a happy but stuffed customer.



E-Fu Noodles...not that great



Green Beans with Dry Olive sauce and Minced Pork....nice.





 After Red Star, we wanted to take a nap but knew that a meal this big needed to be worked off before dinner and besides it was too beautiful of a day to be wasting indoors. I remembered from a trip to Vancouver in 2004 that the University of British Columbia had hiking trails and a beautiful campus near the beach. However, I didn't do any research on which beach was best or even really how to access them. So without any real sense of direction or purpose, we headed out north from Red Star along Harbor Drive to UBC. After passing some palatial estates, the terrain turned into forest and my wife caught a glimpse of a sign saying Wreck Beach Trail 7 buried amongst the foliage. We decided to head down the little one lane road into a deep forest. The road was fairly isolated with cars sporadically parked along the road. We came across a poorly identified trail head that said Trail 7 Wreck Beach and pointed down a forbidding set of stairs that stretched out into the infinite. Then we saw another intriguing sign stating "clothing optional". I knew that Vancouver was a pretty liberal place so we thought that this might not be anything unusual. Though we were not prepared to get naked...no sunblock for the genitals...we decided to head down and see what awaited us. As we descended down the stairs there was beautiful little manmade stream on the left side that created a magical forest environment. There were also solitary men that we encountered every three or four minutes heading up and down the stairs; sometimes naked, sometimes not. They were all giving us a “deathly you don’t belong here” stare. After about the fourth one that we encountered, I looked over at Lisa and said "I pretty sure we are heading down to a gay sex beach". Just then another solitary man (very naked) asked us if we were looking for the main beach. We said yes and he told us it was about 1/2 mile north of here. So with that we headed back up the stairs and got back into the car and looked for Trailhead 6.
 

A sign of things to come...



Only some of the wood we saw on the beach....





















The main beach was a circus. It was also clothing optional but with a mix of everybody (not just angry looking gay men wanting anonymous sex); a lot of naked old hippies, naked families, a couple of naked trustifarians and whole lot of fully clothed nerdy UBC students. In short there was sausage and muffin glore..and pervy college students. Deciding against a game of nude ultimate Frisbee with some granola types, we headed out towards the tide pools to take some pictures of the scenery (but not of the people...there were strict policies against that). There was also a group of heavily armed police officers patrolling the beach adorned with bullet proof vests. It seemed curious that such a show of force was necessary but I guess you need to be prepared when dealing with a belligerent naked hippie.

After the beach, we collapsed into a deep coma back at our apartment. However, we ended up taking too long of a nap and were in danger of endangering my plans that evening of visting three Izakaya. A little back story here: Izakaya in Japan are essentially bars that serve food. In North America they are more of small plates Japanese eateries that serve alchol. The Izakaya trend (which is big in cities like San Francisco, LA and New York) started in Vancouver when the Guu mini chain opened its first outpost in 1993. The Izakaya concept took off in Vancouver with dozens of new places opening up primarily around Robson street. One of these places, Hapa Izakaya, was my first experience with the concept when I came to Vancouver for my bachelor party in 2004. I remember stumbling in there after an exhausting day of air travel (we arrived in Vancouver about five hours later than we thought due to a flight cancellation) and being transported to a realm where the sake flowed freely and intriguing small dishes that I had never tasted before were plentiful and cheap. After that meal I was hooked on the concept. I would search out other Izakaya as they opened up in the states including places like Nombe and Ippaku in San Francisco and Musha in Torrance. I loved the mix of western and asian flavors and the inventive dishes (including Chicken Tartare, Japanese Cheese Risotto, lightly seared Beef Heart) that I had tasted at these establishments. However, Lisa was not a big fan. She had the misfortune of going to a very low rent, mediocre Izakaya in Portland (run by some well-meaning gringos) and did not like the greasiness of Musha in LA. I was sure that if she tasted the far superior dishes of the Vancouver Izakaya that she would be a convert. So the plan was to hit up Guu with Garlic at 6pm and enjoy the cheap beer and fill up on some garliciky treats then move on to Hapa Izakaya where I had a reservation at 8 am and then finish up the evening at Zakkushi (a skewer restaurant) with some yakitori and more libations. However, by time we woke up from our nap it was close to 6:30pm and we still needed to shower and get ready to go out. So I scrapped plans to go to Guu with Garlic, opened up a bottle of wine to get necessary buzz before heading out, and went to Hapa Izakaya about thirty minutes early.

Once we arrived it was clear that a reservation was not necessary. There were only about three or four tables filled and the place looked pretty dead; a far cry from the bustling establishment that I gone to years earlier. The pricing was similar to 2004 but of course with the current dismal exchange rate they essentially increased 20-25%. We started with the 500ml House Sake (not horrible at $18) and a large Sapparo (very expensive at $9.75) to keep the party rolling. To eat we ordered Spot Prawn Sashmi ($8.50), Kakuni ($8.99), a mixed martini glass of tuna and halibut ($10), and BC Albacore Sashimi($10.50). The Kakuni was a cubed roasted pork belly that came with chinese style buns (the type that typically accompany roasted duck). The pork belly sparkled with flavor but was a little dry which is a sin with an ingredient as fatty and luscious as this. The spot prawns fared better with a generous portion of five prawns still with the heads on. The wife was put off by this dish but I sucked down the little buggers. They had a very clean taste and were extremely fresh. Not as good as the live spot prawns I have had in the past, but for the price, quantity, and quality it was good pick. The martini glass mix of fish had an beguiling sweet sauce and once again the fish quality was excellent. The Albacore Bin-Toro was the agreed upon favorite with the proper melt in your mouth texture and none of the fishiness that you sometimes find with this type of tuna. With a good buzz going we decided to head out and try our luck at another establishment.




Spot Prawn Sashimi-the best part is the head!



Once we left at around 9pm, the atmosphere on Robson had become kinetic. People filled street and our next stop Guu with Garlic had a huge crowd waiting outside. Sensing that this was not going to work, we headed to Zarzaku on Denman to see what the situation was there. The frazzled hostess told me that it would be over an hour without a reservation. Clearly I made a tactical mistake by centering my evening around Hapa Izakaya instead of one of the other establishments. Not wanting to wait a hour for skewers, we headed a block down the street to Kingyo another well reviewed Izakaya. I had not initially considered Kingyo because of the perceived similarities with Hapa Izakaya, but the wait was only thirty minutes and we were far too intoxicated to head anywhere else. Kingyo turned out to be an excellent choice. The diversified menu had several intriguing options including a variety of tongue dishes. The wife decided to go with the Kobe Beef Special($22) that featured superbly marbled, thin slices of rib eye that you cooked on a smoldering rock; a variation of the standard tableside hibachi dish that you see at many izakaya. The beef was accompanied by a tangy wasabi infused mustard sauce and a cloyingly sweet steak sauce. For her second choice she wanted to choose the white king salmon carpaccio ($10) but they were unfortunately out. Instead she decided on the pressed toro sushi plate ($13). The plate contained five neatly layered blocks of rice and toro with a tangy slightly sweet sauce stringing the pieces together. This was my least favorite dish of the evening. The fish quality was questionable and the sweetness of sauce distracted the palate.

Let's get this party started!

For my dishes, I chose the Black Cod Kama Kaarage ($8.80) and the grilled Beef Tongue Steak ($12). The Black Cod came with three freshly fried collars containing a rich buttery flesh surrounded by a well-seasoned crust; imagine the best fried catfish you ever had and then imagine something tastier than that and you have this dish. This was perfect izakaya food, rich and filling and most importantly paired perfectly with the light Japanese lager I was drinking (Sapparo, Kirin, Asahi who knows …I was too drunk to remember). The Beef Tongue was a more challenging dish. Initially the fibrous texture of the thickly sliced steak was difficult to manage, but that simply proved to be a minor obstacle to enjoying the rich beefy flavor that was hiding in every bite. The greatest moment of evening came not from the food, but from Lisa who leaned over to me and drunkenly proclaimed,“ If it weren’t for you, I would never eat at restaurant like this, thank you.” Rush of joy overtook me upon hearing those words; has a spouse ever spoken a kinder phrase to their mate…I think not.           


On that note, we stumbled back to our domicile for the evening. Along the way we encountered a skunk scurrying across the sleepy but very urban residential street we were traveling upon. Without hesitation an extremely intoxicated Lisa chased after the skunk calling out, “Come here my stinky buddy”. Worried about the obvious consequences I convinced Lisa to leave our oderous friend alone. That seemed to be the perfect note to end our unusual day in Vancouver. It was one we will not soon forget...well except for the last couple of hours which were a drunken blur! 

With that our Vancouver culinary adventures came to end. I would go to local farmers market the next morning and the following evening we would have an excellent meal in Whistler but that story will have to wait for another time. Overall our trip was quite the success and I am looking forward to more culinary adventures with our northern neighbor. 

Vancouver Day Two

Our second day in Vancouver was more action packed than our first. For starters we took a 6 mile jog around the Stanley Park perimeter. After surviving the run, we were tired, sweaty and dirty...and very hungry. It was around 2 pm and we found ourselves on lower Denman looking for food. Thankfully we were in the right place, as Denman St is a virtual international marketplace that stretches about seven or eight blocks from False Creek to W. Georgia St. Ramen, borek, fish and chips, yakitori, shwarma and more shwarma... you want it, this street has it.

Tube Steaks...another option near Denman Street 

One sign that caught our eye (probably because it was the first one we saw) was the takeout counter at the Raincity Grill offering Fish and Chips for $10. Raincity Grill is a well regarded establishment that offers the West Coast standard of local sourced fare in an elegant but casual setting. Considering 'local sourced fare' is an option in San Francisco or Seattle any night of the week, I never considered this restaurant when planning our trip. However the offer of freshly made Fish and Chips for only $10 (including 12% tax) was too good to pass up. While the wife waited for our Fish and Chips, I went looking for a second option (Being a foodie with so many choices, simply getting two orders of Fish and Chips was not an option). There were plenty of potential winners...the Canadian bistro (aptly named The Mullet and the Beaver), the borek place (borek is like a shwarma made with fried phillo dough instead of lavash, ala chimichanga vs standard burrito), and about fifty Eastern Mediterranean restaurants. I decided since shwarma was everywhere, I would choose a random spot and hope they were the best place in town. The place I chose was not, but at $6 dollars it did not break the bank either.  The chicken shawarma was stuffed with slightly dry chicken and combined with a tasty garlic yogurt sauce. Decent but nothing spectacular. The fish and chips were more exciting with two pieces of freshly prepared fried ling cod and fries. The batter was crisp and flavorful. However, one of the pieces was overdone and desiccated in parts. I was surprised that a place as well respected as Raincity wouldn't have better quality control over their dishes even if it was take out.

After an exhaustive stumble back to our apartment for some much needed relaxation, we headed out to the wilds of North Vancouver. I thought North Vancouver was just a place you drove through on the way to Whitstler but it is actually quite nice. First we stopped at Lynn Canyon Park to go over the free suspension bridge. The Vancouverites do their best to keep us foreigners away from the free sites and fleece us for some cash at Grouse Mountain and Capaliano Suspension Bridge Park. But we had the inside scoop from a turncoat. Lynn Canyon was tucked off a residential street in North Vancouver and you had to know it was there to find it. It was crowded with a mixture of domestic and foreign tourists, but still a beautiful site with an impressive suspension bridge and beautiful pools of water surrounding it.

The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

After dangling hundreds of feet above the ground for the first (but not last) time on our trip, we drove into downtown North Vancouver for dinner. We had 7:30 reservations at the The Lobby Restaurant in the Pinnacle Hotel but decided to get some drinks at a local establishment first. Looking across the street the District Restaurant caught my wife's eye. We had no idea what to expect based on the exterior but inside it turned out to be a Belgian-orientated gastropub. The menu proudly boasted its top offering, " The Onion Soup-probably the best you've had in years". As I have tasted many an onion soup in my time, I was ready to put this one to the test. But first I ordered a glass of the delightful La Chouffe ($8/pint) which appeared to be the only Belgian on tap (though the bottle selection was terrific). About midway through my beer I heard the sound of a propane torch being fired up....that could mean only one thing...my onion soup was on its way! I was presented with a small but classic looking cup of french onion soup shortly thereafter. It had the right aesthetic with the properly torched melted guyere cap dripping over a small ceramic bowl. The taste was out of this world. A luscious blend of bacon, beef and chicken stocks were fused together masterfully to create a decadent broth. As if that wasn't enough, little pieces of bacon floated through the bowl like little castaways waiting to be "rescued" by my mouth. The smokiness contributed by the bacon made this french onion soup a standout out in a crowded field. We also ordered something else that I completely forgot about because I was so focused on the french onion soup...maybe a charcuterie platter?

With a little bit of sadness we left the District for our dinner reservation at The Lobby. We had purchased a Groupon for the restaurant a couple of weeks prior. The Groupon provided for two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert for $49. Upon arrival the restaurant was very much a lobby. It was located right in the...well lobby. You would think that a hotel trying to be trendy would design a more innovative looking restaurant. Instead the restaurant looked like any standard Hilton temple to mediocre dining. Even the waitstaff wore coffee shop like attire complete with name tags. Luckily the food out shined the decor. We started with the BC Crab Cakes ($16) and the Alberta AAA Beef Carpaccio ($14). These were the best choices of the evening. The crab cakes were essentially crab croquettes deep fried and covered in panko with a generous amount of crab filling- no breadcrumb filler here.  Unfortunately they came with an out of season citrus sauce that added nothing to the dish. The Beef Carpaccio was the best executed dish of the evening. A classic preperation with arugula and shaved parmesan that highlighted the quality of the beef. We were scrapping the plate for that last sliver of beef.

The mains continued the theme of quality ingredients with mixed results on the execution. My wife picked the  Filet Oscar ($26) and I choose the Haida Gawaii Halibut ($23). The filet was cooked perfectly medium rare and stuffed with a generous amount of crab. The accompanying Bearnaise sauce was "unoffensive". The potatoes however were straight off the Hampton Inn breakfast buffet and the "seasonable" vegetable was some asparagus which must have come from the other side of our border. The halibut was a complete mess. The fish while attractive was overcooked and the tomato confit that was advertised turned out to be a flavorless tomato broth. We finished with a Pear Marscarpone Neapolitan that fared better than the mains. The neapolitan consisted of slices of caramelized pear sandwiched between deep fried waffers and a light marscarpone. It made for a gentile ending to our meal. Overall the meal was a good value because of the coupon but I would not eat here without one.

We finished our night by walking around the chic industrialized shoreline in front of the hotel. The shoreline consisted of a series of redone industrial piers complete with a non functional shipping crane as a homage to its recent 'blue-collar' past. It looks like the hotel is only one piece of the planned development in this area. In any case, we able to enjoy beautiful views of the dramatic Downtown Vancouver skyline. After taking some photos we wearily drove back to our apartment blissfully unaware of the wackiness that we would experience in Day 3.

               

Vancouver Day 1

Canada Trip Introduction

The wife and I headed north to land of the Canadian for some much needed R&R over a long Labor Day   weekend (or Labour Day as our northern brethren like to call it). This was our first real vacation since our trip to Savannah over five years ago.  The purpose of this trip was twofold. The Vancouver portion of the trip was to be the culinary excursion that I had been planning for my 35^th birthday. The Whistler portion was to be my wife's outdoor adventure. In reality the two trips blended together nicely and there was a little bit of outdoor fun in Vancouver and a little bit foodie action in Whistler.  However most of the good eating happened in Vancouver and that will be the focus for the next couple of posts. So with no further ado, I present....

Vancouver Day One 

Ramen Time

Our first stop in Vancouver was Santouka Ramen which you may remember from my earlier post about true Japanese flavors. Since my missed opportunity to dine at the San Jose location in June, I had been craving their legendary ramen. After settling into the West End rental that we picked up for our time in Vancouver, we walked over to Santouka on Robson St. Unlike the Mitsuwa food courts stands in the US, this branch is a standalone eatery with a nice modern interior and full table service. Even at 2:30pm on a mid-week afternoon there was a short wait for a seat. With a dozen ramen places on Robson to choose from, it is a testament to the quality and reputation of Santouka that they can command crowds at anytime of day.

You know you want it...

     

For lunch I ordered the Shio Ramen with double Char Siu (I wish they had a triple!) ($10.95). The wife ordered the gyoza ($5.00) and a side order of the Toroniku Char Siu (pork jowl) ($5.95).  The side orders arrived first and the gyoza ,while excellent, was blown away by the Toroniku which could literally be described as “Pork Toro”. It melted in your mouth as would the most tender, flavorable Toro.  This is now a must have next time I go to Santouka (every Santouka regardless of its location/country has more or less the same menu). The ramen itself was a mirror image of the bowl I had in San Jose earlier in the year. The rich creamy pork infused broth, the springy ramen noodles, and 'melt in your mouth' Char Siu (though it was not as tender as the Tononiku). The only problem that I had was keeping my wife from eating all of it. I wish I had upgraded to a large!

A little nicer than the Mitsuwa locations...this location actually has a sign. 

Pricewise, the ramen was $1 or $2 more per bowl than in their US locations. In the end the cost differential is insignificant because for ramen this good, I would pay $20 dollars a bowl.                                                          

Drink Up!
That night I wanted to check out Gastown since I had never really been there before and was curious about the scene. The first stop was the Albi Room, which was supposed to be BC’s premier Beer Bar with over 50 taps and several cask selections. However upon arrival, the tap selection was a bit of a disappointment. Fairly large (and well known) California and Washington brewers were overly represented. It seemed like they had almost every North Coast Brewing Company beer on tap here (I love North Coast..but I can have their beer anytime) . Instead of having the well regarded local Back Hand of God stout on tap, they had a Pike Brewing Company Stout which is available at any convenience store throughout the city of Seattle.  I did enjoy the fact that you could get a small (i.e. scooner) or large (i.e. pint) glass of any beer on the menu, which allowed for extensive sampling. I settled on a limited edition BC Red Truck IPA that was $6.25 a pint. It wasn't overly bitter or hoppy like a San Diego style IPA, and was an enjoyable beverage unique to the Vancouver area. The wife made a better (but not Canadian) choice in the Carolus Quadruple which was a delicious boozy, malty treat.     

Only a little drunk....

While I don't think Alibi Room's beer selection is going to dethrone any of the great beer bars of the West Coast (think Tornado, the Trappist, Horse Brass, Brouswer's), their food was better than any of the aforementioned establishments. We started with a traditional beet salad ($10) and their skinny fries with spicy ketchup and a chili vinegar($5). The beet salad with its cumin garlic vinaigrette was enjoyable, but not unique in any way. The spicy ketchup elevated the fries from standard to tasty. But the most interesting dish was the Pan-Roasted Elk with Spicy Chorizo Lentils ($18). The wife thought the elk was too tough and wasn't a big fan. I thought that the spicy lentils, my IPA and the slightly gamy elk were a magical combination. It was a refined but unfussy dish that stepped out of the boring food zone. I would taste a better bison dish in Whistler, but for a beer bar it was an exceptional dish and more importantly, a great accompaniment for the beer. 

A little more drunk...

Upon leaving the Alibi Room, we ventured further into Gastown. The bartender said there was a good whiskey bar called Irish Heathers 5-6 meters down the street (whatever the fuck that means..stupid logical metric system). Gastown is similar to the Gaslamp district in San Diego, but without the drunken beach skank factor. Old buildings converted into slick corporate establishments and lots of bars for drinking. Irish Heathers fit in with the neighborhood well. A sterile looking establishment compared with the faux European, grungy cool of the Alibi Room. The bartender was a cool old Irish dude and the Guinness ($6.50) was damn near perfect. The charcuterie plate was decent ($16) but the wife liked the Irish Pure Pot ($9) whiskey even better. After feeling a little buzzed and having spent a good deal of money we headed back to our apartment. Canada was treating us well so far...


Locations: 


Santouka Ramen
1690 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7
http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/shoplist/index.html


Albi Room
157 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1B8, Canada
http://www.alibi.ca/




Irish Heather
210 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2
http://irishheather.com/   

Soup Girl

It is funny the ways that you bond with your children as a parent. For my father and I bonding usually meant going to old school Italian places like Little Joe's on Broadway in San Francisco or rafting down the Guadalupe River in pool flotation devices. For my four year old daughter and myself it is enjoying a bowl of Won-Ton Soup.

Now every Chinese place is going to have a bowl of Won-Ton Soup (maybe even a Vietnamese place for that matter). I've tried hundreds and generally they are a fairly lackluster combination of chicken stock, MSG and some grisly pork wontons. However a few places do Won-Ton Soup right and the best of those has to be Mike's Noodle House in Seattle's International District.

Mike's in the International District

My daughter and I visited Mike's right after they opened at 9:30am and the place was already jumping. Families and groups of friends were enjoying Congee and Chinese Doughnuts. Now Congee is just one of those things that I can't get into and I doubted that the little one was going to be game either so we went for the Beef Brisket Won-Ton Noodle Soup ($7.55 for a large) and the Chinese Doughnut($1.90). The staff was friendly and helpful for this type of establishment. They provided me with a pair of scissors to cut the noodles for my munchkin. When the soup arrived it was a revelation. The broth had the usual MSG/chicken stock elements but also a faint trace of star anise and ginger that gave it a greater depth of flavor. The beef brisket was tender and fatty and also carried the taste of star anise. The wontons were a combination of a whole shrimp and a minced pork filling forged together in a wrapper. My only regret with the soup was that there were only three wontons which meant one and half for each of us...not enough. My daughter was a happy camper and had over two servings of the soup including seconds on the brisket

The Chinese doughnut was a big disappointment however. It was a cold, greasy, doughy blob that didn't really satisfy on any level. Maybe the gringos got the shaft but I am not sure why it would be cold twenty minutes after the place opened. I wonder how long it had been sitting out. Maybe yesterday's special?    

After bonding over soup, we left Mike's and checked out the international district. There were lots of dim sum places around which isn't all that common in Seattle outside of this neighborhood. We will have to try one next time and bond over pork buns....another mutual favorite.

Albondigas, Albondigas

Long ago in the land of Long Beach, there was a magical...Mexican restaurant. Well, I don't know how magical it was, but it seemed special as a little kid. It was one of those traditional dark windowless Mexican restaurants with mariachis and tacky decor. My family went there frequently even though we nicknamed it El Stinko. The only thing that I remember about the food was the albondigas soup and the lollipop bowl at the front of the restaurant. My love for albondigas soup stayed with me throughout my childhood and well into adulthood. Something about the rice meatballs and the chili spiked broth that worked for me.

Finding albondigas soup became something of a quest for me. "El Stinko's" went out of business sometime in the mid-80's and in the fajita/enchilada world of Texas' Mexican restaurants there was no albondigas soup. Once we moved to California, it was menudo and caldo del mar that dominated the soup menus of the taquerias of Watsonville and Santa Cruz. It wasn't until I went to Old Towne Mexican Cafe in San Diego that I got to taste my beloved albondigas soup. It was the only place that I knew that served the soup for years. Then all of the sudden a couple of years ago it began appearing on menus at Mexican places in the East Bay.

Quality varied but I was happy to have this classic back. Now that I have a selection to choose from, I can make a judgment call on who has the best. And the winner is...Mi Pueblo Supermarket on High Street(Oakland). It is a rotating special at their taqueria/market that I have had on Wednesday. What made their albondigas special was not the meatballs themselves, but the broth that got a smoky, spicy kick from generous helping of chipolte peppers left whole in the broth. For meatball quality, I would have to say La Carta de Oaxaca in my new home of Seattle is the best however the thick heavy broth was a negative for me. Albondigas should have a light smoky/spicy broth.

I have listed a link below for a recipe that is a good approximation of what is available at Mi Pueblo. The broth can be a bit tricky. I have had it turn out too oily and rich, which makes the soup difficult to eat as a main. The recipe does not use chipolte peppers but still has that smoky kick to it. The poblano peppers adds a new dimension to the meatballs.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/01/poblano_albondigas_with_ancho_chile_soup

Japanese Markets and Ramen

Japanese food has fascinated me since my childhood. Once I had my first bite of freshly made tempura at Tempura Kiku in Disney's Epcot center in 1987, I was hooked for life. The focus on achieving perfection within the narrow guidelines of tradition has always impressed me about true Japanese food. My trip to Tokyo ten years ago showed me that the Japanese apply that philosophy to every aspect of their lives-even the knickknacks at the souvenir shops there are of high quality. Unfortunately, Japanese food in States is rarely ambitious. More often than not a restaurant will serve up a lackluster grab bag of various Americanized Japanese staples including powered miso soups, frozen pre-made tempura, and some absurd maki filled with substandard fish and stale sushi rice. However, there is a growing number of Japanese restaurants in the States that achieve near-perfection by focusing on a couple of dishes and doing them extremely well. Santouka Ramen in the Mitsuwa Marketplace-San Jose is one of those restaurants.

 Santouka is a Japanese Ramen chain that in the US can commonly be found in the Mitsuwa mini chain of Japanese markets. The Mitsuwa marketplace off Saratoga Rd in San Jose is in a nondescript strip mall that is slowly being transformed into a series of Japanese stores and restaurants. Once inside, the market has to be one of the least impressive of the chain(certainly does not compare to the palatial Torrance flagship)  though it is still probably the largest Japanese Market in the Bay Area. Santouka is located in the front of the store with no English sign(always promising).

I arrived at the market 30 minutes before Santouka opened and perused the aisles looking for Japanese food wares that I didn't really need but looked cool(i.e.Yuzu-Pepper Sauce on sale for only $2.99!). Upon completion of my shopping trip, I headed over to Santouka and got in line. Contrary to the posts that I had read- there wasn't an crazy line to order but a good mix of Japanese clientele and foodies. The menu was fairly straight forward with four main ramen selections(Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Toroniku) and three different sizes for each. Since Santouka is cash only and I was only sporting eight dollars, I had to settle for a small Shio Ramen. The brings up another point-Santouka isn't cheap. Most of the bowls are in the double digit range for the regular sizes. However, the place next store charging $5.95 for a large bowl of ramen was empty. Clearly something special was happening at Santouka and I was about to discover it for myself.

When the bowl of ramen arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the symmetrical arrangement of all the ingredients. The broth was a salty and rich pork-based concoction. At your standard ramen joint the broth is usually salty but lacks the richness that one finds here. The broth was so rich that the small was actually very filling. I couldn't imagine trying to down of the big bowls...my already poor blood pressure would probably go through the roof. The real mark of quality was the cha shu or roasted pork slice in the soup. It was melt in your mouth tender as opposed to other ramen shops where it is overcooked and dried out.  The noodles were well structured and slightly al dente. Overall a fantastic bowl of ramen worth the drive to the South Bay.

I have built a list of US based Japanese restaurants that best exemplify the Japanese devotion to quality below. I have eaten at all of the establishments below and most them focus on one aspect of Japanese cooking instead of going for the grab bag approach. Not all of them are Japanese owned and operated but the devotion to the food is there. 

Yakitori:

Ippuku
Home to the infamous Chicken Sashimi, but all the yakitori here is incredible. The sampler is a good and relatively affordable way to start.  

2130 Center St
(between Shattuck Ave & West Entrance)
Berkeley, CA 94704

(510) 665-1969
ippukuberkeley.com

Sumika
The best oyako-don in the Bay Area and I heard their yakitori is top touch as well. A bit of a trek as it is buried on alley way in very random downtown Los Altos. Expensive but not as bad as Ippuku and a lot less attitude.

236 Central Pl
Los Altos, CA 94022

(650) 917-1822

www.sumikagrill.com

Udon:

Sanuki No Sato
The best udon in the US hands down. No exactly anglo-friedly (no English sign, cold service) but the perfect udon more that makes up for it. Worth the detour if you are in LA. It is right off the 405(two or three blocks) so it is easy to get to. 

 

18206 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248

(310) 324-9184

www.sanukinosato.com

 
Sushi:

Sebo
Worth the hype and the expense. My brother and I ate here and only of the nigiri sushi was super fresh(or course we were the first customers on Tuesday when the fish comes in from Japan). We were impressed with the skill of the chef and the insane variety of fish/shellfish available. Not a place to go expecting crazy rolls or other such nonsense. Unlike other high end sushi places, Sebo is very approachable.  

517 Hayes St
(between Octavia St & Laguna St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley

(415) 864-2122

www.sebosf.com


Tempura:

Komatsu
With all of the specialty Japanese restaurants these days you would think that there would be more tempura places but this is the only one that I know of.  Doesn't approach the quality of the places in Japan like Ten-Ichi but is better than anything else in the states. Invokes memories of the departed Tempura Kiku and my first Japanese meal for me. Don't get the $45 dollar tasting menu...unless you enjoy some serious heartburn.

1644 W Carson St Ste B
Torrance, CA 90501

(310) 787-0787 

Food Carting it in a Dreamer's Marketplace

Portland January 2011

My wife was on a mission to find a house but I had another agenda in mind. See I had been to Portland on two separate occasions but on neither occasion had I ventured to one of the city's legendary food carts. I was aiming to rectify that. While traveling up MLK in Portland, I was informed by my Curbside Food app that a stand called Wet Hot Beef(insert joke here) was approaching on the horizon. I quickly told my wife that we had stop. Unfortunately her desire to see the house was going to postpone our stop, but I knew that with persistence(and incessant reminders) that we would be going there later.

After looking at a perfectly fine house, we traveled back to the food pod (what they call a grouping of food carts...it's a Pacific NW thing) that Wet Hot Beef supposedly belong to. However, Wet Hot Beef was no longer a member of this particular pod called Dreamer's Marketplace(your app sucks-Andrew Zimmern!). After looking around at the desolate lot of about six food carts of which four were open, I settled on Viking Soul Food.

Viking's Soul Food specializes in Norwegian Lefse sandwiches/wraps. I had never had Norwegian anything but thought this one looked interesting in midst of the other more standard looking food carts. The menu consisted of several wraps including one with Dungeness Crab and a couple of dessert lefse with lingonberries. However the wrap consisting of meatballs, carmalized onions, and Norwegian cheese caught my eye. At $4.50 it was cheap enough that if I didn't like it, I could always pick up something at another cart.

Once I took a bite I immediately knew I made the right decision. The combination of the onions and cheese added a whole new dimension to meatballs. The lefse was warm and tender but held the ingredients well. If the Ikea Meatball plate represents the low point of this Scandinavian treat, this wrap lies at the other end of the spectrum. It was light enough that I was able to try some of the other offerings at the Dreamer's Marketplace.

After returning to the studio that we were staying at I did a little more searching online and found a site that accurately detailed every known food cart in Portland and its location. After discovering that there were more than 200 food carts in the greater Portland area, I knew that this could be a dangerous place live. But for tonight I will be dreaming of food carts and the endless treats that I could be eating.  

Info:

Dreamer's Marketplace
2737 MLK Blvd
Portland, OR 97212

Viking Soul Food
www.vikingsoulfood.com

A great resource for Portland Food Carts that includes maps, location, reviews, and commentary:
www.foodcartsportland.com