Lazy Update Part II

Soon after coming back to Tokyo, I went back to CA again for one week. Went to Vegas for half of it so it was a whirlwind trip back home. Here are some shots from my phone:

Southern California = Palm trees.

Pizza time! Pizzeria Mozza Newport

Beer al fresco. Basically commuted to Bruery Provisions every night.

Vietnamese food fix: Brodard Cafe

Cheeseburgers: In-n-Out Burgers

Absolute favorite beach back home, Laguna Beach.

A whole new appreciation for the close access to the amazing beaches after being away from OC for a bit.

Santa Fe Eggs Benedict (substituted Potatoes with Spinach): Plum's Cafe

Enjoyed hanging out with friends and of course, this handsome boy.

Miss him so much!

Counting down the days until I'm back...!

The French Kitchen

Catching up on some updates...

Champagne Brunch at The French Kitchen inside of Grand Hyatt Tokyo last month.

Entrance.

Interior/Buffet Station.

The absolute BEST part of the buffet part was the Fruit Station. They have a selection of fresh fruit and will freshly cut anything you want. Felt like I got my money's worth with the fruit alone (fruit is extremely expensive in Japan).

Freshly made Egg's Benedict.

Buttery & sugary French Toast.

Buffet.

You choose one main dish. This is my boyfriend's duck dish.

It was the better dish out of our table (I ordered fish, our friend ordered Chicken) but it was unimpressing to say the least...

Dessert is also buffet style.

Personally, I am not a fan of buffets. I hate that overly-full feeling that lingers. But this was a rare case, I really enjoyed the dishes offered for the buffet but didn't enjoy the main dish that came with it. Especially at 6,500 yen (main, buffet & a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne). I wish they would offer a buffet only option for about 4,500 yen.

Oh, and a heads up, I ordered an extra glass of Champagne which cost a third of the price of the entire meal! Obviously, should have asked before I ordered... but it would probably be a better option to hold off on that second drink and instead, enjoy one afterwards on the balcony of The Oak Door upstairs.

Bar Tartine

Last post from SF...

After driving back to the city from Healdsburg, we had dinner at Bar Tartine. They had really unique dishes. You really couldn't imagine what it would taste like until you ate it.

We got the last seats at the bar.

Loved the atmosphere, interior and that the walls were covered with art. They also had a really cool wooden chandelier.

Bar Tartine is run by Tartine Bakery, so the bread was excellent.

Duck Pate, Rye Bread, Gooseberry Jam, Elderberry and Corriander Mustards.

Never had Duck pate before, but it was so tasty. Out of the three condiments, my favorite was the Corriander Mustard! Loved the wood tray too.

Smoked Eggplant, Cranberry Beans and Garlic Sausage.

The Eggplant was good, but I thought the sausage was too salty and overpowering.

Chicken Paprikas: Baby Shitake, King Trumpet, Shallot, Kale.

The Paprika sauce was so mild and the Kale perfcectly balanced out the taste.

Strawberry Creamcheese Tart.

This was my ideal cream cheese tart. It had the perfect tartness, light and a crunchy, buttery crust. I also love strawberries, so it was the perfect ending to a very satisfying meal.

Mastro's Ocean Club

Dinner at Mastro's Ocean Club in Las Vegas.

There are a couple of Mastro's in Orange County, but I'm not big on steak so never made it there.

Located inside Crystals at CityCenter.

The best thing about this restaurant is the interior. The architecture is so amazing and I love the simplicity of the furniture.

They start you off with a fancy bread bowl.

We ordered Sauteed Sea Scallops for the appetizer along with 2 salads. The Scallops were my favorite!

Then our food came and I was in shock. The portions here are ridiculously huge. The sides are a meal in itself. FOOD COMA!

I ordered the Fillet of Arctic Char Oreganata. This photo doesn't prove how enormous this fillet was, but it was as big as my palm!

I had never heard of Arctic Char before and the waiter informed me that it was like a blend of salmon and trout. It was good, but WAY too big.

If I come back, I'll probably order the appetizer-portioned Sea Scallops and share some sides or half-sized salads, because entrees are just too much. It has a gorgeous bar area (my boyfriend had a couple Caipirinha's which were excellent) so that might be a better option.

ad hoc -for temporary relief from hunger-

Dinner at Ad Hoc in Yountville.

Ad Hoc, meaning "for this purpose" in Latin, has an interesting story behind it (link here). Its a casual, laid back, family-style restaurant from the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.

Exterior.

Entrance.

Bar Area.

Ordered this Blue Apron Ale, which is exclusively brewed in Brooklyn for his Per Se restaurant in NYC. It had a nice aroma and strong flavor but super smooth. We ordered two 750ml bottles (one just wasn't enough).

Then the waiter comes out with Kenzo's Rindo wine that we didn't order. Turns out, Julia from Kenzo Wine (blog here), who had recommended this restaurant to us (and previously worked here) knew that we were dining there that night, so she called ahead to keep us a bottle.

So extremely generous, thank you Julia!!

Started with: Frisee & Watercress Salad

Smoked Duck Breast, Pixie Mandarins, Toasted Hazelnuts, Kalamata Olives, Shaved Red Onion, Breakfast Radish and Citrus Vinaigrette.

Main: Snake River Farm's Kurobuta Pork Shortribs

Marble Potatoes, Cippolini Onions, English Peas, White Corn, Roasted Broccoli Rabe, Fried Hen Egg, Fuji Apple Mustard.

Cheese Platter: Patacabra

Palladin Toast, Marshall's Farm Wildflower Honey.

Dessert: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Vanilla Ice Cream.

They only serve one 4-course menu each night for $52/person (menu changes daily). The main shortribs were incredibly tender, not overly flavored and you can taste the natural sweetness of the pork. I really enjoyed each dish, loved the homey vibe, energy and atmosphere.

Towards the end of our meal, we noticed Thomas Keller himself eating there. My mom got super excited and asked him to sign that day's menu. She said he was super friendly and welcoming.

Anchor & Hope

We stayed in San Francisco the first night. There are tons of excellent restaurants in SF so it's hard to choose when you only have one dinner there. We all agreed on Anchor & Hope after having a great dinner there last year. We randomly found this restaurant hidden in a small ally in the financial district, on our way to a different place to eat. This place has great tapas-sized seafood dishes, a decent beer and wine list and was definitely a great find!

Exterior.

Bar Area. It's a pretty large restaurant and it's always packed.

Dining area.

Nice, chilled beer after a long drive. Cheers!

Left: Littleneck Clams, Lemon Verbena Fumet

Right: Sizzling Garlic Shrimp, Chile de Arbol & Parsley

Crispy Squash Blossoms, Four Cheese Filling, Basil Pesto & Tomato Vinaigrette

Top Left: Charred Baby Octopus and Butter Bean Salad

Top Right: (Main dish) Idaho Trout on Smoked Potato Puree

Bottom Left: Zuckerman's Asparagus

Bottom Right: Roasted Baby Beets with Goat Cheese Fondue

I haven't had a dish here that was disappointing. The menu completely changed from our last visit, so everything we tried was new. I was so amazed with their Squid Ink Risotto last time and was kind of bummed that they didn't have it. But this time, the trout really left an impression, the meat was cooked perfectly (SO moist) and had the perfect amount of sodium. May have been one of the best trouts I've had, ever.  

Eggs 'n Things

After Hatsumode, we decided to go for brunch. We had heard about Eggs 'n Things from friends that it was good but there would always be a crazy line. We were near it so I just wanted to see what it was like but when we got there, they were able to seat us right away.

Exterior. They have a cute patio which would be nice once it gets warmer!

Interior.

They're "known" for their pancakes, so we ordered the Strawberry Pancakes. The pancakes were good, but they were quite heavy... Normally, that load of whip cream comes on top of the pancakes. I'm not too big on whip cream so we got in the side. Wise choice.

We also ordered the Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict is one of my most favorite brunch dishes and this was the best one I've had so far in Tokyo! The egg was prepared perfectly, the sauce wasn't overly rich and above all, it comes with spinach! I love spinach in my Eggs Benedict. We'll definitely be back for this (although we'll probably skip the pancakes).