Restaurants

In October of 2011, I visited Taipei—the city where my parents went to college and where my dad and his parents currently live—for the first time in over a decade, accompanied by one of my best friends, Lee Anne, whose maternal grandparents live in Taipei. I'm guessing I wrote this post near the end of 2011, but it fell by the wayside because my words reach peak coherence when they're allowed to ferment for one and a half years JUST KIDDING I am really slow. So I'm writing about the trip now, long after my memories of the trip have mostly fizzled into question marks, because I won't setting for "giving up"—but I will settle for "barely trying." Well there, here we go. A road in Taipei. I couldn't get it out of my head. The question I asked myself shortly after stepping onto the streets of downtown Taipei. What's that smell? Not a lip-curling, is-that-the-stench-of-decay-or-did-someone-fart smell, but a mild, omnipresent scent that says, "You're definitely in Taipei." And thus I became unnaturally flush with excitement* when one night out of the blue Lee Anne said, "There's a distinct smell here." Oh, Lee Anne [clutches chest]—you totally get me. In addition to "BFF" you have earned the badge of "SMELL PARTNER 4 LYFE." And you're really smart, so I bet you know what the smell is. * I mean, I'm easily excited, but it's usually at the hands of a voluminous ice cream sundae or a puppy acting helpless in a totally nonthreatening situation and thus looking immeasurably cute, not by smells. "Oh my god, yes! The smell! There's a smell! You know the smell! ...What is this smell?" "I think it's a mix of food and exhaust," Lee Anne started. "With some incense." Keep going. "And a bit of air freshener." Keeeep going. "And...toilet?" I nodded. It's not a scent I'd apply to my skin, but If I could bottle up Taipei street air and take it home for the occasional closed-eyed whiff, I would. It would transport me back to Taipei in a way nothing else can. Nice door. Taipei's smell was one thing about Taipei that hadn't changed since my last visit in 1999 and when I had lived there from 1996 to 1998 (6th and 7th grade, if I am to date myself). Most things were familiar: towering department stores, alleyways full of restaurants and shops, 7-11s and Family Marts on every other corner, rows of scooters waiting at traffic lights, rows of scooters parked by the sidewalk, grime-dripping buildings that look like they'll be torn down before they ever get washed, dingy eateries aglow with fluorescent lights. Taipei City Hall station, doughnuts, and Taipei 101. Things that were different: Mister Donut, Taipei 101, bubble tea shops galore, far fewer stray dogs (the overpopulation of stray dogs is still a big problem, though), and the metro. The best new thing to me is the metro/MRT, which was but a stunted newborn the last time I saw it. It's clean! Bright! Spacious! Easy to follow! With trains that run smoothly and frequently! With clear announcements in Chinese and English! And the stations have restrooms—restrooms that don't make you fear for the potential horrors within! Ignoring that New York City's subway system has instilled me with low standards (it's very good for what it is—I do keep in mind it's an over hundred-year-old system that runs 24/7), I'm pretty sure Taipei's metro is objectively great. Grandma looking out the window of a relative's apartment. A fancypants apartment. Another difference: my grandparents. It's been years since I last saw them—perhaps a decade. They were old the last time I saw them; now they're...really old. More specifically, my grandma ("ama" in Taiwanese) is 91 and my grandpa ("agong" in Taiwanese) is 94. When I was little, I'd semi-joke that they'd live forever. They've outlasted colon cancer and stomach cancer; they really are en route to reaching 100. If it was hard to communicate with them before, it was even harder now. They speak Taiwanese, some Japane

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Mission Street Food began as a kind of accident, which gathered momentum as it evolved from a food truck into a pop-up and then Mission Chinese Food and now even an outpost in New York.A few years later, we’re hoping that another half-baked idea can pick up steam and become something real and lasting, but this time the goal is not just a charitable restaurant but a full-fledged charitable food movement. We will need help to make it happen, just like last time, but we hope you will feel as excited by the potential as we do.First a bit of background: a few months ago, we started talking with The Kitchen Sisters, who produce radio for KQED, about a big event they are curating at SFMOMA. The theme is “The Making Of…” and they’re bringing more than a hundred local artists and artisans to do what they love to do—from making hats to building furniture out of mushrooms—right in the middle of the museum. We wondered what we could do, and as we daydreamed, we came upon the idea of “The Making of a Charitable Food Movement,” which would be a participatory exhibit in which museumgoers would help us build a new food culture on the spot. So here’s what we have planned: On Friday May 31st, as part of the “Making Of…” exhibit at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, hosted by acclaimed radio producers, The Kitchen Sisters, we’re putting together an event called “The Making of a Charitable Restaurant Movement.” The idea is to demonstrate a robust public interest in making food more meaningful by giving back. More than forty of the city’s most respected restaurants will sell $50 gift certificates, of which $5 will fund meals for people in need; gift certificates will be available for purchase May 31 from 10am to 6pm at the museum and online. At the museum, chefs from Bar Tartine, La Cocina, Mission Chinese Food, Stag Dining Group, Tacolicious and Wise Sons Deli will serve snacks for $5 apiece, of which $1 will be donated to The Food Bank. The event will also feature cooking demonstrations by Chad Robertson (Tartine Bakery), Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water), Jason Fox (Commonwealth), Ryan Pollnow (Central Kitchen) and Jesse Koide (Mission Chinese Food). For every dollar raised by this event, The Food Bank will be able to provide three meals for hungry people in the Bay Area—and the need has been rising in the last few years. We’re launching a new entity, called ShareTable.org, which is a philanthropic platform created for this event, but if enough money is raised to feed 50,000 people, we will expand the endeavor into an ongoing accelerator helping restaurants to benefit their communities.For us, this feels like a bit of a return to the old days of Mission Street Food, when we invited guest chefs to join us in the kitchen and asked customers to bear with our occasional mis-steps for the sake of giving back to our communities. We are even returning here, to our old blog, where we used to announce our latest scheme, from “Mexiterranean” night to “2011: A Seafood Odyssey.” Now we are asking for you to get involved again, whether that means eating ch

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, written by a few friends: Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy do the majority of posts here, but a few others have helped out as well.  Today, it's Cathy's turn to write while the guys are 'researching' in various parts of the USA and world. It's that time of year when The Mister and I just get in the car, drive and stop when one of us is hungry. The other day, we found ourselves in South La Jolla on the fairly new La Jolla Boulevard that has added circles in the middle of the road, so you have to drive slowly, zig zagging at 15 miles per hour, instead of stopping at every corner. It's the area commonly known as Birdrock. As I drove slowly, we saw this- Café Marché.  It used to be a different restaurant where we had never stopped.  This time, I found a parking space (the parking lot has green lines painted in it, but is labeled 'Customer Parking Only' and not '15 minute parking' as are green lined spots on the street). I didn't get a photo of the counter when we walked in, but a good variety of freshly prepared deli items and flavored popcorns are available to grab and go.     We sat near the front, and had a nice view of the painted Bird Rock on the wall.  The breakfast and lunch menus were brought to us.         The Mister ordered coffee ($2) and a thermal pot was brought to him. It was a very good, fresh brewed French roast coffee. The Mister's order came with a 'small salad', which was quite large and served with a very nice herbed balsamic dressing.   Short story: The Mister and I had just been reminiscing about late night stops at Denny's after the UGLi (undergraduate library) closed, and how we always ordered a "Super Bird", a sort of Monte Cristo sandwich... So, when the Cristo Crépe ($8.50) was on the menu, He had to order it.  I must say, this was *wonderful* and had a good amount of ham and turkey and cheese inside the *very* perfect, thin and flavorful crépe. When I looked at the menu, I could not decide, asked what the soup of the day was and was told that in addition to French onion, the 'soup' was actually a chili. ($5).  I had to try it and was very, very happy I did.  Our Waiter said it as his Mother's recipe...and I want that recipe!  Ground beef, black, kidney and garbanzo beans, corn and a perfect blend of spices, topped with cheese and a dollop of sour cream and...a perfect meal.  It was accompanied by grilled Focaccia, which was so very fresh and apparently what sandwiches here are served on...which I'll order next time.  What a great place.  So glad we stopped here. Marché Café 5550 La Jolla Blvd La Jolla CA 92037 (623)332-3505

Eater scanned through all 1326 NYC restaurants on OpenTable with reservations for two still available for tonight. It's a lovely evening to dine out at some of the city's best, including Kin Shop, L'Apicio, and Brushstroke. Here's the best of the bunch. Get 'em while they're hot: · Grape & Vine (7:15, 8:15) · Kin Shop (8:45) · Bill's Food and Drink (7:00, 7:45) · db Bistro moderne (8:15) · il Ristorante Rosi (9:00, 9:45) · L'Apicio (7:30) · Mas (la grillade) (7:00, 9:30) · Hecho en Dumbo Chef's Table (7:00, 9:30) · Betony (9:00, 9:15) · North End Grill (9:00, 9:30) · Feast (8:15, 8:30) · Perry St (8:30, 9:00) · Jo's (7:00, 7:30, 9:00) · Cherrywood Kitchen (7:15, 7:30) · Brushstroke (7:30) · Aldea (9:00) · Lincoln Ristorante (8:30, 8:45) · Willow Road (7:15, 7:45, 9:15) · Empellon Cocina (6:45, 9:30) · Cole's Greenwich Village (7:15) · Print Restaurant (7:15, 7:45) · Grand Central Oyster Bar (7:15, 8:30) · Quality Meats (7:00, 8:00) · Zoe (7:15, 7:30) · Commerce (7:00, 9:00) · OpenTable [Official Site]

Have you heard about the great S'MACdown of 2013? Well over the past few weeks, mac 'n' cheese shop S'mac has been asking mac 'n' cheese fans to submit their creative takes on the comfort food staple via their Facebook page, and tomorrow, the build-your-own macaroni and cheese competition comes to a close. The top five recipe submissions will be on display at the restaurant's Murray Hill location for the live judging portion of the contest. The winning recipe will be featured on the menu at all three S'mac shops for an entire month. [EaterWire]

In this week's roundup of new videos, Food.Curated's Liza de Guia shares a behind-the-scenes look at what Landhaus is serving at The Great GoogaMooga this weekend, Annisa's Anita Lo makes some of her signature foie gras soup dumplings, Brooklyn Winery president John Stires talks about the winery's mission, and David Manheim shares a few anecdotes of his life at Katz's Deli. 1) GoogaMooga Sneak Peeks: All week long, Liza de Guia of Food.Curated has been releasing some behind-the-scenes videos of the prep work and concepts behind some of the food that will be offered at The Great GoogaMooga today and tomorrow. Here's a look at what Landhaus will be serving: 2) Untouchables: Anita Lo's Foie Gras Soup Dumplings: Watch Anita Lo make foie gras soup dumplings, the signature dish at Annisa: 3) Inside the Brooklyn Winery: John Stires, president and co-founder of Brooklyn Winery, gives a tour of the space and discusses the winery's mission: 4) The Last Jewish Waiter: Meet David Manheim, the "Last Jewish Waiter" at Katz's Deli: 5) On the Family Table: If you have fifty minutes to spare, listen to Danny Meyer and Michael Romano of Union Square Hospitality Group give a Google Talk about their new book, Family Table (or just watch a few minutes):

Will there finally be weekend brunch over at the eighth wonder of the world, Lafayette? Pastry chef Jen Yee has gone on record with Bedford + Bowery as saying the new menu will launch next week. Once brunch goes live, chef Andrew Carmellini and company (aka partners Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom) will have fulfilled their dream of having an all-day French restaurant, and be well on their way to world domination. [Twitter]

Restaurant: Aziza Cuisine: Moroccan/New American/Mediterranean Last visited: May 6, 2013 Location: San Francisco, CA (Outer Richmond) Address: 5800 Geary Blvd Phone: (415) 752-2222 Transit: Geary Blvd & 22nd Ave Price Range: $30-50+ ($25-35 mains) 1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try! Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried) Service: n/a Ambiance: 3 Overall: 4.5 Additional comments: Chef/Owner Mourad Lahlou Innovative New Moroccan cuisine 1 Michelin Star Critically acclaimed Local and global ingredients Seasonal menus Chef Tasting Menus Cocktail/wine program Reservations recommended Wed-Mon 5:30–10:30 pm Closed Tuesday **Recommendations: The 13 course Chef’s Tasting Menu ($95/person) was more impressive than the a la carte, although the a la carte was still very good. The cocktails and dessert menu should not be missed. If you’re ordering a la carte try the Lentil Soup, Sardines, and Duck Confit Basteeya. The desserts change often and according to season, but on the current menu I recommend the Almond-Honey Semifreddo. No, this couldn’t be it. Just let me double check the address. I’m sure it’s called Aziza, or was it Laziza? No, Laziza is the one in Vancouver, I was looking for Aziza in San Francisco. It’s a 1 Michelin Star upscale restaurant featuring new Moroccan cuisine, and it was unexpected to find it on this street corner. The sign didn’t really shout “upscale” and from the outside it looked a bit shady, but I knew what I was getting myself in to. I knew well in advance too, as to why I even made reservations a week early. It is not a restaurant you just happen to walk by, it is restaurant you make plans to visit. The Richmond District is populated with Chinese and Russian immigrants and mom and pop type ethnic eateries (mostly Asian) which dominate the area. Aziza is located in Outer Richmond which is the up and coming part of the Richmond District, as opposed to the inner part which is already full of restaurants. It opened in 2001 and the love for it has only grown stronger. It won reviews from local media early on and has been on the James Beard Award radar most recently. It received James Beard Award nominations for Aziza, Mourad, and his Pastry Chef Melissa Chou, and the restaurant and team is still on the rise. It is not easy to stay in the spotlight after opening for over 10 years (especially for modern restaurants like this), but Aziza must be doing something right or the hype would have died a long time ago. It still remains a neighbourhood gem and attracts locals and traveling food enthusiasts alike. Follow Me Foodie to San Francisco started at Aziza and I was off to a good start. The restaurant was more pleasant once inside and it was a lot bigger than expected. There are 3 separate rooms, each uniquely themed, but still Moroccan inspired. It had the white tablecloths and the service was formal, but the room was trendy and not as committed to traditional fine dining quality. It was stylish and sophisticated, but not ritzy or rich. Before I dwell into the food, I have to state my biases. I actually met Mourad last year at West Restaurant when he was invited as a guest chef. He prepared a New Moroccan Menu and I wrote about the experience here. It can be tricky writing about food when you become friends with the chef, but there is a mutual understanding and respect. Regardless it is not the first time I’ve done it, and if you’re familiar with this blog then you already trust it or you don’t. I can’t say I’ve had much experience with Moroccan cuisine let alone “New Moroccan” cuisine. I refuse to put it under the umbrella categories of Middle Eastern or African food just because it isn’t specific enough. I find it deserving of its own category. Nonetheless I don’t have many point of references for how Mourad’s dishes came to be, but based on reading his book and trying his food

No, this is not the line for food at The Great GoogaMooga. This is actually the line of people waiting to eat Dominique Ansel's now infamous Cronuts, just five minutes after the doors opened this morning. They just can't wait to get their hands on one of those rose-flavored rings of fried dough. In fact, these croissant-doughnut hybrids are so popular, they've been causing mass hysteria since they graced the streets of Manhattan last week, with people crying and flipping off baristas when they sell out. Ansel is so sure his half-croissant, half-doughnut creation will be a smashing, long-lasting success, he went ahead and trademarked the term 'cronuts' yesterday afternoon. · @DominiqueAnsel [Twitter] · All Coverage of Cronuts [~ENY~] · All Coverage of Dominique Ansel Bakery [~ENY~]

fig. a: Hi! My name is SavouréHey! It's nice out there. You're out and about. And you're probably starting to get hungry, right? And maybe even a little thirsty...Well, keep in mind that the Salon J'ai Faim is taking place this weekend, May 18 & 19th, in the basement of the Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus (5035 St-Dominique), at the corner of St-Joseph & St-Laurent.You'll find many of our favourite Montreal food & drink people, includingDispatch Coffee! Preservation Society!and our latest coup de coeur...Savouré Sodas & Preserves!!I mean, who couldn't use a small-batch grapefruit & tarragon soda on a day like today? Check 'em out! These sodas are truly amazing.There's a price of admission, but if you're smart you can opt for a ticket that comes with some delicious amuse-gueules.Oh, by the way: the entertainment lasts from 11am - 6 pm both days.aj