hotaru- san mateo, california

for me downtown san mateo has become a great (and convenient) place for japanese food. one of my favorites is hotaru

cold udon- refreshing on a hot day

inari(tofu skin), saba(broiled mackerel) , salad w/ japanese dressing

ryowa- mountain view, california

on guam one of my favorite places to eat is aji ichi. some of my favorite things to order there are the japanese fried chicken and fried rice. i actually find ryowa's chicken better than aji ichi's. however, i do find aji ichi's japanese style fried rice better but not by that much. ryowa definitely fulfills my aji ichi cravings while i find myself away from home.

happy birthday america

nothing says happy birthday america like food and wine. since flying apparatus was in town i joined him, foodicles and our friend abby for a day out in napa.

bistro jeanty

jeanty started us off with a basket of warm bread. it had the perfect balance between soft and crunchy.

creme de tomate en croute- i could swim in this all day. it was a delicious, creamy tomato soup w/ a flaky, buttery puff pastry that wasn't too heavy

saumon fume au bistro- a carpaccio style salmon. it was very refreshing for such a warm summer day.

moules au vin rogue- these mussels were amazing. i wish i ordered them. i could eat these for days.

next stop- bouchon bakery

i'd have to say the chocolate chip cookie was pretty normal. their signature bouchon, however, was very good. i wish i bought more!

after we eating we went to two wineries for some tasting. our first stop was peju

we were lucky enough to have been with a member. the staff was very attentive at informative. i don't consider myself a wine connoisseur, but i thought the wine here was very good. i would definitely bring people here in the future.

the 2nd winery we went to was silverado. very scenic views. it's the kind of place i would like to wake up in every morning. the wine here was also very good.

overall, it was a great day of food, wine and friends. can't ask for much more.

san diego adventures

a few of my girlfriends and i spent a week in san diego to celebrate closetcouture's 25th bday. a vacation always means lost of eating.

1st night- la puerta for a late night meal. this was my first carne asada fries experience and they were pretty darn good. the border tacos with freshly made guacamole were very good too.


day 2- a trip to san diego would not be complete without a trip to islander grill, a restaurant that serves chamorro (guam) food. being the only one who knew what to order, i ordered for everyone. the meal was both satisfying and filling.

red rice, short ribs, cabbage salad, chicken kelaguen, empanada

after a relaxing day at pacific beach, we went to eat at pacific beach alehouse. they brew their beers in house. their beers were good but i was surprised at how good their food was. the star of all the food was definitely the lobster mac and cheese.

front to back- pacific sunset ipa, whitewash wheat

calamari

lobster mac n' cheese

spinach artichoke dip

mile high ice cream pie

day 3- started with lunch at sand bar sports grill in mission beach. to continue my taco kick i ordered the carne asada and mahi mahi tacos. for the price these were pretty good. i've had better but these were quality for a sports bar.


after another day at the beach (mission beach this time), we went back to our new hotel, the porto vista hotel. we decided to have a drink at the hotel restaurant, the glass door, before going out. i'm glad we made a trip there because our bartender made the most amazing drink. i have a great appreciation for cocktails made with fresh ingredients. she made us a dragon berry mojito.

day 4- on our way back to the bay, foodicles and i stopped at stone brewing co in escondido. i recommend visiting here if you are ever in that area. they put a lot of work into the design of the restaurant and this extends to their food menu. you can tell they value the quality of their overall product and image.

13th anniversary ale

spud buds

bbq duck tacos

alice's summer thing, out the door, and bi-rite creamery

another great thing about summer: outdoor concerts. what makes outdoor concerts even better....the fact that it's free and its performers include gavin rossdale AND sugar ray! what really surprised me about this festival was the quality of the food. then again should i be...it is san francisco.

philly cheese steak (good quality, flavorful meat) and garlic fries

Gavin Rossdale

Mark McGrath!

After the concert, we went to the san francisco shopping center to eat at out the door, the to-go version of slanted door. this was my first slanted door experience, and i'll have to go back again.

cellophane noodles w/ dungeness crab

crispy imperial rolls

lychee ice tea

the last stop on my sf food adventure was bi-rite creamery. i'm going to say it....this is the most amazing ice cream i'ver ever tasted. there was a line but it was definitely worth the wait. (disclaimer: i have not tried humphry slocombe yet) i had the coffee toffee and roasted banana. i also highly recommend the salted caramel.

half moon bay brewing company

nothing says summer like an eventful spur of the moment trip to half moon bay. and a trip there would not be complete without some seafood and maybe some beer too. we decided to eat at half moon bay brewing co.

mahi mahi fish(one of my favorite fishes) and chips

raspberry brown ale

santa ramen, san mateo

ramen reminds me of home: ichicban and grilled cheese at home on a rainy afternoon, ajiichi miso ramen with gyoza, a late night meal at fujiichiban. santa ramen in san mateo did not disappoint meeting my ramen craving.

my favorite!- miso ramen