Tofu House Delicioso

Last night, Badge and I went to Tofu House for some yummy Korean grub. If you've never had Korean tofu casseroles, please go there asap.

Here's what you get - a sizzling hot pot of tofu kimchi stew with a variety of ingredients. I usually get seafood combo which includes shrimp, clams, oysters, beef, and pork. Each table has a basket of eggs on the side so you can crack a raw egg into the stew and let it cook to soft boiled perfection. The casserole also comes with Korean style brown rice, which really looks like purple rice (we still ordered fried rice on the side which was totally unnecessary given the amount of food we consumed). Afterwards, we moseyed over to Yogurt World for a refreshing dessert.

Perfect Friday night dinner.

Churros

Churros are my friend.

These are from El Camino, where we went for dinner last night after I picked Badge up from the airport.

Delicious.

That's all.

Health Stuff

Last Friday, I had a health evaluation at work. I was suppose to fast for 8 hours before, but completely forgot and had a small bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Oops. Luckily, my stats were still good. My heart pressure was a bit high (120/85) but I'm pretty sure that's from the coffee. My good cholesterol was high and my bad cholesterol still lower than the optimal threshold (though not by much). Bizarrely, my body fat came back as 16.6% which is probably very unlikely but I'll take it!

Having the evaluation made me realize that I should do aerobic exercise on a regular basis. I mean, ashtanga yoga is intense and makes me sweat my ass off but I'm not sure it counts as aerobic. So today, I hit up the work gym at lunch for a painful run. I made it to 2 miles but then walked/sprinted the third mile. Sigh. How far I've fallen from my running heyday. Oh well, at least I got it done.

After work, I still went to yoga which turned out to be ill advised. My legs were pretty tired so when I did my first jump through, I didn't tuck in enough and clipped my toe on the floor. OW. Remember the last time I did that? Definitely not as bad this time so I'll just keep icing and keeping my fingers crossed.

I guess the plan now is to do yoga tues, wed, thurs, sat and sun. Then run on tues and friday. Overly ambitious? Probably :). We'll see how it pans out.

Good Eats: The Linkery, Bread & Cie, and Wahoo's

Oh boy, wasn't I just blogging about not eating out so much? Oh well, everything is fair game on the weekend...

On Friday, Badge and I went down to North Park for a repeat dinner at Sea Rocket Bistro. Unfortunately, the wait was about an hour, and frankly our stomaches weren't having any of it. So we hustled over to the Linkery, where we were seated right away (God bless their souls). As always, Badge wanted to order everything on the menu, but I reigned him in. We settled for some beers, a pak choi salad with sweet lemons and a delicious blue cheese dressing, and the house specialty: low country boil.


The boil was delicious. Corn, spicy andouille sausage, shrimp, clams, potatoes and jalapeno corn bread. Very flavorful and downright scrumptious. For dessert, we split the "chocolate 3-ways": chocolate cake, white chocolate ice cream, and milk chocolate sauce. Soooo good. Rich without being overwhelming. Not too sweet. Next time, I want to see chocolate 10-ways on the menu. I think I'm ready for it.


Stuffed, we wandered over to Bar Pink just to check it out as a potential music venue for Achilles Keaton. The bar was low key with a hipster feel. The stage was small and intimate, there were some pool tables in the back, and a street fighter arcade station. Badge tried playing but got his ass handed to him twice (we're convinced it was on a hard setting). Overall, it reminded me of a spot that would be in East Village or Lower East Side. Definitely a good neighborhood joint.

On Saturday, I went to yoga and felt much heavier during my Primary Series class. Damn that cornbread! At least I got a chance to sweat it out. Afterwards, we drove down to Hillcrest for lunch at Bread & Cie, a cafe/bakery I've heard of many times but never tried (sheer laziness). As soon as I walked in, the desire to stuff pastries in my mouth was overwhelming. Chocolate croissants, biscotti, cupcakes, you name it. Luckily I'm not a barbarian so we ordered like regular folks and sat down.

Nothing makes me happier than a big cup of forthy latte, complete with barista swirl.


I had a half sandwich half soup combo with portabella mushroom sandwich and creamy tomato soup. I'm a sucker for tomato soups, especially on brisk days. The sandwich was surprisingly good. Aside from the portabellas, there were roasted zucchini and slightly pickled red onions. Some sort of juicy sauce tied it all together.


Badge had the tuna sandwich which was also quite tasty (I had a bite). Here he is enjoying the meal way too much.


Even though we were full, there was no way we were leaving without trying a pastry. Badge surprised me with this choice: apple, rhubarb, and raspberry pie. Oh my God. This pie was out of this world. Best pie I've had in recent memory. The filling was tart and sweet. The crust was amazingly flaking and tender. No joke, eating this pie made me cry a little inside, knowing that at some point we would finish and there would be no more pie left. Woe is me.


Afterwards, we did a bit of shopping at American Apparel, then drove to DSW in Mission Valley. I recently ordered some shoes on shopbop which I really liked but turned out to be very uncomfortable (and way too tall). I was despondent so Badge thought a trip to DSW might help. Amazingly I found a pair that were similar in style, much more comfortable, and over $100 cheaper! Winner! Lastly, we stopped by West Elm to get some long overdue nightstands.

After all that shopping, we were hungry again (surprise surprise) so we stopped by Wahoo's. I got spicy blackened fish tacos and Badge got a fish burrito. Yum, I could eat this every day.



Today's yoga class was tough. I don't think Wahoo's is conducive to doing padangustha dhanurasana or the seven headstands of Ashtanga. This afternoon, I was planning to hit the garden but it's been raining. I guess I'll start my seeds indoors and transplant them when they've sprouted. Can't wait for it to get warmer!

Dinner With Kara

YAAAAY KARA IS IN TOWN!! I'm not sure I've ever blogged about Kara directly, but she's been my sister's best friend since junior high. I've known her so long now, she's basically another sister to me.

After work, she picked me up and off we went to Roppongi in downtown La Jolla. Roppongi is an Asian fusion restaurant with a focus on tapas style dishes. With some wine in hand, we devoured the following tasty dishes:

Crispy tofu with different dipping sauces (probably my favorite).


Grilled salmon with roasted eggplant and salad.


Hot yellowtail sushi roll.


Beef short ribs with mashed potatoes.


We really should have passed on the dessert but we couldn't resist. This chocolate sundae was enormous and decadent. We finished every last bite.


Aside from the food, it was so great to catch up with Kara and just hang out. I've missed her a lot and was ECSTATIC to hear she might move to SD in another year or so. Now if we can just convince Monkey to move here after her postdoc, life would be perfect...

You're the best Kara!

Return To The Kitchen (and Other Food Adventures)

I'll admit. I've fallen off the wagon with cooking. Most of my food posts lately have been about meals out and about. As delicious as they've all been, you get tired of eating out all the time. Or at the least, you feel very bloated after eating out all the time.

Luckily, culinary inspiration struck last week when I received our CSA delivery. It prompted this delicious meal: salmon with mashed potatoes and spinach.


Most of the ingredients came from Seabreeze. The salmon (TJs) was baked with olive oil, dill (CSA), and parsley (CSA). Once done, I topped it with juice from what I thought was a lemon, but turned out to be a very small grapefruit (CSA). I mashed the potatoes (CSA) with parsley, butter, and cheddar cheese I had in the fridge. The spinach (CSA) was sauteed in plenty of oil and garlic, with more drizzles of grapefruit juice. Simple and yummy!

Once the weekend arrived, it was back to eating out. On Saturday, we went to Cafe Chloe with Spike, Frog, and Dog for a pre-birthday dinner for Spike. Collectively, we ate pommes frites with different dipping sauces, olives, arugula salad, several servings of mac n cheese, leg of lamb (my entree - I can never resist lamb), chocolate cake with caramel sauce, rosewater creme brulee, and pistachio bread pudding. And of course a couple bottles of Montepulciano wine. So delicious! Pricey but well worth it for a special occasion.



On Sunday, I cooked a Valentine's dinner of Caesar salad and penne pasta with arrabiata sauce. There are no pictures because we were too busy eating so you'll just have to imagine the goodness. I also made a double batch of tiramisu (one for Spike's bday gathering on Mon and one for the Dx potluck at work on Tues). This I did take pics of.


On Monday, Badge, Kris, Si, Sophie, Kimbo and I went over to Spike's for take out dinner from Sipz. We made short work of the tiramisu (beyond tasty) and settled on the couch to watch some terrible episodes of the Bachelor. This show is so bad it's actually quite funny. Happy birthday Spike!


Today, we had the potluck at work. It was a mardi gras theme (fat tuesday) and we all had several helpings of food. I got lots of compliments on the tiramisu. After all this eating, I think we're long overdue for a Buddha diet. Let's see if we can stick with it for at least a week...

Tiramisu
Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated

2 1/2 cups strong black coffee , room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
9 tablespoons dark rum
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 pounds mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup cream for adding to yolks
3/4 cup cold heavy cream for whipping
14 ounces ladyfingers (42 to 60, depending on size)
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa , preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , grated (optional)

1. Stir coffee, espresso, and 5 tablespoons rum in wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves; set aside.

2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once or twice. Add 1/3 cup cream to yolks and beat at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds; scrape bowl. Set bowl with yolks over medium saucepan containing 1 inch gently simmering water; cook, constantly scraping along bottom and sides of bowl with heatproof rubber spatula, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir vigorously to cool slightly, then set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons rum until combined. Transfer bowl to standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add mascarpone, and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.

3. In now-empty mixer bowl (no need to clean bowl), beat the 3/4 cup cream at medium speed until frothy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until cream holds stiff peaks, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Using rubber spatula, fold one-third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Set mascarpone mixture aside.

4. Working one at a time, drop half of ladyfingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove, and transfer to 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixture; entire process should take no longer than 2 to 3 seconds for each cookie.) Arrange soaked cookies in single layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into dish.

5. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers; use rubber spatula to spread mixture to sides and into corners of dish and smooth surface. Place 2 tablespoons cocoa in fine-mesh strainer and dust cocoa over mascarpone.

6. Repeat dipping and arrangement of ladyfingers; spread remaining mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and dust with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa. Wipe edges of dish with dry paper towel. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Sprinkle with grated chocolate, if using; cut into pieces and serve chilled.

Kimbo's Birthday

On Saturday night, the whole gang met up at El Camino, a Mexican restaurant/bar, in Little Italy for Kimbo's birthday. Because I am the worst sister in law, I somehow managed to take ok pictures of food but all blurry pictures of people. Foiled. I was trying to be sneaky by leaving the flash off and using a higher shutter speed, which obviously did not work to my advantage.

Luckily Spike was able to come to the rescue (once she was able to turn the camera on, hehe jk!). Here's the birthday girl with her boyfriend Erik. Too cute!


So yes, back to the food.

We started with complimentary chips and four salsas: mild pico, creamy chipotle, green tomatillo, and fiery hot. Badge and I drank a couple micheladas and then each ordered a burrito which came with a delicious side of creamed corn. My chicken burrito was actually very well seasoned. Not too salty and plain ol' delicious. After polishing off my plate, we had churros covered with chocolate syrup accompanied by vanilla ice cream. Soooo good. They brought out Kimbo's churro dish with what looked like a firecracker sticking out. I snapped a shot but it was so bright it looked like Kimbo was on fire. Best to spare you the image.



It was a fun time and a great meal. Happy birthday Kimbo!

So Much Eating

Since Badge has been in NY this week on business, I've been pretty good about eating light and healthy all week. Salads here, soups there...

But then on Wed, the last Jacques Torres shipment arrived (the gift that keeps on giving) and it was all downhill from there. That night, I had a dinner of chocolate truffles (ate half a box) with a side of roasted veggies. On Thurs, I had a brownie for breakfast (baked by coworker) and several Girl Scout cookies (I bought 4 boxes from another coworker). I also managed to eat a chocolate pudding somewhere in there. At 8pm, I picked up Badge from the airport and we went straight to Buon Appetito, our favorite Italian restaurant, for more eating.

As usual we split a tricolor salad and each had the cappelini alla checa, arrabiata (spicy) style. And because I hadn't had enough sweets that day, we split a huge tiramisu slice. Delicioso!!




Today we had a ladies lunch at Jasmine for Michigan and Busy Mama's birthdays. Full of dim sum, I made it through the afternoon by drinking lots of green tea and taking frequent trips to the bathroom to keep myself from falling asleep. If you haven't tried this method, it's quite effective. And finally for dinner tonight, Badge and I went to Edo Sushi next door and had way too much sushi and sake..

It's so hard to not enjoy food.

Achilles Keaton

It's here!

Achilles Keaton, Badge's awesome music project, is officially online!

I'm no expert at web programming but I think this ended up looking pretty damn good. Props to Badge for throwing together some impromptu music videos using old footage. There are many more songs that they need to record, so stay tuned for updates!

Cougar Gathering: Michigan's Bday

On Saturday, the Cougar Clan gathered for Michigan's birthday.

I'm not sure who originally named our group "cougars" but it's hilarious and it stuck. Giov and I are referred to as "cubbies" because technically we not quite at cougar status.

At 6pm, we all met up at Urban Solace in North Park for some delicious contemporary comfort food. I haven't heard of this restaurant until recently but it seems to do it's part in serving local sustainable foods. Plus. Also I went on Yelp the night before and it had rave reviews. Plus plus. As it turns out, the restaurant was only a few blocks from Sea Rocket, where we ate the night before. Already there was quite a line outside the restaurant. Luckily we had reservations.


Once seated, we ordered cheese biscuits with honey orange butter. They were delicious. The biscuits were nice and tender without being too greasy or salty. We also ordered sweet potato fries with blue cheese buttermilk dressing. Even though they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, I still found these quite addicting. To accompany the starters, I had a spicy mango cocktail. Nothing to write home about. I did take a sip of someone's pear thyme martini which was yummy. For entree, I ordered the braised beef cheeks with smoked tomato jam and mashed potatoes. I know my New Year's resolution is to not eat as much meat but I couldn't resist! I'm a sucker for tenderized meat. So tender...


My dish was quite good, although I was not prepared for the size. Still, I made my best effort to finish it (only one bite left). During this time, I casually let one of my buttons around my ribs unsnap to make room for my belly. Must remember to wear looser clothes next time. By the way, this is the only picture I took all night on my camera. I'm so bad at remembering to take pics. Thank god, Goddess is an excellent drunken event photographer.

After dinner, we waddled our way next door to True North, a bar filled with unattractive people. Is that bad to say? Maybe I could be more forgiving if they weren't also sourpusses on top of that. No one was dancing! Even though the music was blasting and there was a DJ, everyone just stood around staring off into space. Of course this didn't stop us from getting our groove on. All in all, a great night.

A very happy birthday to Michigan!

Illumina Holiday Party 2010

Alright, this post is a week overdue so the details will be sparse. I've got very short term memory...

That Sat, Badge came back from band practice around 5pm and off we went to Hard Rock Hotel for a night of revelry. Upon arriving, we were shown to the VIP check in area (swanky). Our room turned out to be on the 5th floor and unfortunately by the elevators (foreshadowing of events to come). Badge considered changing rooms but I hushed him, thinking nothing of it.

The room was very nice. We won a raffle for a free upgrade so we had a king suite. The bed was comfy and the shower had an overhead and side spout. I approved. Interestingly, the bathroom was in between the living room and the bedroom. Had never seen that before.



Once dressed, we went downstairs only to stand in line for what seemed like forever. After a while, we got in and made a mad dash for the food stations. The first room we entered was serving sushi so we loaded up on that. With drink in tow, we were a bit anti-social as we shoveled food into our faces but I'm sure no one noticed. It was so crowded at the event already, it was hard to even recognize people.

Still hungry we walked around the main hallway which was beautifully decorated with red lanterns (the decor everywhere was very well done). We walked up to a table of poke and potsticker dumplings only to realize there was a woman in the middle of the table serving us. Literally. There was a hole cut out in the middle and she was standing in it. Every now and then, you'd see her pick up her table and shuffle to a new position. Hilarious.

After standing in many more long lines for food and drinks, we finally made our way to the dance area. Badge struck up a conversation about soccer with my coworker while his wife and I went to the dance floor to cut a rug. I danced like no one's business for a while before wandering back to Badge. The rest of the night is a blur but the highlight was the last song when they played Empire State of Mind. Badge and I relieved our NY days by dancing furiously to this song. Then it was over.

Back in our room, we got comfy and turned off the lights to go to bed. Unfortunately, about 30 people decided to park it in the hallway outside our room. They were pretty much screaming and yelling the entire night. There was even a FIGHT outside our room. Seriously. We heard yells and "No"s, then just crashing and thumping. Called security about 10 times to complain. Finally, the commotion died out and we were able to fall asleep. Will have to rethink staying at the Hard Rock again.

All in all, it was a fun time. Maybe not as fun as last year since Badge was sick and I wasn't very drunk hehe. But still a great time. Till next year!