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Padrecito

The food at Padrecito is excellent! I heard great things about their tacos so I had to try it for myself. 

We started our meal with chipotle chilaquiles with duck carnitas. It was spicy and the duck perfectly cooked. I didn't even know duck carnitas was a thing... We then shared an order of goat barbacoa tacos and an order of grilled sockeye salmon tacos per our waitress's recommendation. I enjoyed the goat taco the most because the meat tasted earthy, albeit a bit chewy, and was absolutely full of flavor. The salmon taco was delicious too and the salmon so tender, but I don't really like mango slaw or salsa so I preferred the goat taco.

Although the dishes are pricey, I could really tell that the food was made with fresh ingredients and that the restaurant took care in cooking their food well. For dessert we had hot and fresh churros with a delicious coffee flavored cream. I've never had freshly made, non-Costco or carnival churros before and I was missing out big time. So crunchy, crispy, light, and highly addictive. Padrecito is definitely on my go-to list because next time, I'm totally getting the pork belly tacos.

grilled sockeye salmon: achiote rub, avocado aioli y mango-jicama slaw;
goat barbacoa: avocado, haricot vert, salsa arbol, crema mexicana y queso manchego;
chipotle chilaquiles: duck carnitas, roasted corn, gypsy pepper rajas, chipotle mole y crema latina

churros with mascarpone-coffee crema

Recipe: Kimchi Burger

As much as I enjoy eating burgers out, I also get a kick out of making them at home, where I'm free to dress it up or down as I like. It also makes me content knowing that I've mastered the art of cooking delicious burgers at home.

Today's burger is Korean inspired and unexpectedly tasty. In fact, I made it two nights in a row. The stir-fried kimchi adds crunch and heat that cuts against the greasy burger. Perhaps it's the Korean in me but I'm pretty convinced that kimchi paired with anything is delicious.

Kimchi Burger

Adapted from Foodie With Family

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 tsp gochujang

1 hamburger bun, halved

¼ cup chopped kimchi, drained of most liquid

1 3-4 oz burger patty, seasoned with salt and pepper

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt and gochujang until smooth and evenly colored. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat a skillet on medium-high and add the drained kimchi to the pan. Stir-fry until the kimchi is browned around the edges and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Toast hamburger buns in the skillet or in a toaster.

While the buns are toasting, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place burger patty in the center and cook for ~2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side ~2 minutes as well, or until cooked through on the inside.

Take the toasted buns and generously spread the spicy yogurt sauce on the cut sides of both the top and bottom halves of each bun.

Lay the burger patty on the bottom half of the bun and place stir-fried kimchi on top. Add the top half of the bun.

Serve immediately.

media naranja Kickstarter Dinner

I was invited to a very special dinner tonight hosted by the folks behind media naranja, a taco cart restaurant hoping to raise money to fund their project through Kickstarter. I have had the pleasure of personally knowing the people behind media naranja for a while now and was happy to help with producing flyers and business cards and also editing their campaign content. My friend Zack also did a fantastic job at designing the night's menu. I was thrilled to help out and also be a guest at their Kickstarter dinner party held at Nido in Oakland, where they invited a few local bloggers, designers, and friends to try their cooking and support their project.

The food was no doubt amazing and I was able to try some really new and interesting Mexican cuisine. My absolute favorites of the night were the guacamole with pomegranate & pumpkin seeds, charred corn & fried squash blossom taco, and arroz con leche.

baja style beer-battered calamari, cabbage slaw, lemon aioli, salsa veracruzana

arroz con leche: vanilla bean rice pudding, strawberries, grapes, dried figs, chopped hazelnuts

La Note Restaurant

La Note serves an impressive brunch! My friend in Berkeley highly recommended this restaurant and judging by the line of people waiting outside, I'd say that everyone knows how good the food is here. We were crazy enough to arrive 15 minutes before the restaurant even opened but had no regrets on the early wake up call as we witnessed the restaurant filling up quickly.

I was intrigued by the extensive menu and settled on les oeufs lucas: 2 eggs lightly scrambled with goat cheese, chives, served with roasted tomatoes and whole wheat toast. I also ordered a single lemon gingerbread and poached pear pancake to try. I strongly respect restaurants that know how to make soft scrambled eggs and La Note hit the mark. The pancake was very gingerbready and a bit too dense but so addictive, I pretty much ate the entire thing regardless. My friend ordered the cote ouest: three egg omelette with ratatouille, served with homefries and toast. We also shared an order of two spicy merguez sausages which were so good and made me understand why my friend raved about its tastiness.

Starbelly

The search for the top burgers has been ongoing and despite all the ones I've tried recently, the top 3 burgers have been ones that I've tried early on in the burger crawl. But tonight, the #2 spot formerly occupied by Spruce has been claimed by Starbelly. I'd only heard about the secret menu doc's style burger from online blogs and was interested in trying it. Because National Cheeseburger Day is one of the most important days for me, I just had to get a burger for dinner.

To start, my friend and I shared the Starbelly salad, a straightforward salad with simple ingredients. We then ordered the seasonal cheese plate which came presented on a log with all kinds of goodies. I can't remember the name of the cheeses but I really enjoyed the soft one. It was delicious spread on grilled bread with pumpkin seeds.

starbelly salad: mixed greens, goat cheese, yellow peach, & vinaigrette;
seasonal cheese plate

We split the doc's style burger and wow, I had no idea chicken liver pate could be so amazing on a burger. The burger topped with pate and caramelized onions was unlike anything I've ever tasted before. I'm still dreaming about that burger...

doc's style burger: prather ranch patty with chicken liver pate and caramelized onions on grilled sesame seed challah bun;
house cut fries

For dessert we both ordered a press of decaf coffee to complement the warm toffee cake with mascarpone & medjool dates. Starbelly's ambiance is wonderful and I can't wait to come back to try some of the other menu items and particularly, that burger again.

mr. espresso decaf coffee;
warm toffee cake with mascarpone & medjool dates

Souvla Part 2

I've been dreaming of returning to try the other menu items at Souvla. Tonight I tried the pork shoulder salad and because I couldn't decide between salad or sandwich, I added a side of pita bread to the salad. Voila, now I can have a salad and make my own sandwich bites. The pork shoulder salad was good but a bit fatty and so I prefer the lamb leg salad from last time. Next time I'm going for the chicken salad, which the staff told me is their #1 seller. My vegetarian friend ordered the white sweet potato salad and she completely loved it.

I couldn't refrain from trying the frozen greek yogurt with baklava crumbles & syrup. So tart and tangy, the frozen yogurt paired well with the sweet toppings. Glad I tried it. Till next time Souvla!

american homestead pork shoulder salad with minted greek yogurt, cherry tomato, pickled red onion, cucumber, feta cheese;
side of pita bread

greek frozen yogurt with baklava crumbles & syrup