tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22032328252340912052024-03-19T03:34:00.709-05:00Han + Diana Eats! A Food BlogTwo Asian girls eating their way through life.hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.comBlogger436125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-51602908080377280852015-09-30T16:38:00.001-05:002015-09-30T16:40:12.875-05:00Short and sweet for the fine fried chicken at Sweet Chick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I wanted to just write something quick for one of my new favorite fried chicken places in the city - <a href="http://sweetchicknyc.com/">Sweet Chick</a>! I never made it to the Williamsburg location when I lived in that neighborhood, but finally, I could not resist the lure of their chicken and waffles any longer after finding their LES spot.</div>
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THREE delicious flavored butters come with your waffle order (our flavors were lemon - my favorite, berry and herb), and it is well worth your while to try each and every one of them with your waffle.</div>
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But Han! Please tell me about the chicken!<br />
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Okay, bossy (just kidding, I love you very much)! The chicken is good!! Nice and crispy, a little thin on the batter but plenty crunchy, and well-seasoned.</div>
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But the real perk is the waffle. Crispy and light and perfect to soak up all that BUTTERRRRR. I put a little pat in each cube and then drench all that in syrup, but you feel free to eat it however you like (just make sure you use all that BUTTERRRR).</div>
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And definitely! Save room for dessert !! !!! ! !!</div>
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The toffee pudding is the best - a jarful of HOT HEAVEN drenched in toffee caramel and oozy goozy yumminess.</div>
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The peanut butter pie is a healthy portion of love in a bowl also, but gets quickly outshined by the toffee pudding. Please. eat. that. now.</div>
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I've since been to both locations of Sweet Chick (LES one takes reservations!) and love them both, because the chicken is consistent, the butters remain amazing, and the toffee pudding keeps me going on in life, because just knowing it is always there is all I need in life.</div>
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Solid fried chicken, perfect waffles, and incredible toffee pudding.</i></div>
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<a href="http://sweetchicknyc.com/">Sweet Chick</a></div>
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178 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com17New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275822 -74.651388300000022 41.097985200000004 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-23372873816668842722015-09-14T20:58:00.002-05:002015-09-14T21:40:47.121-05:00The Best. Rose's Luxury<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>This post is dedicated to Anne, our biggest fan (and only reader).</i></div>
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In July, I visited Diana in D.C. for a weekend. Any weekend with Diana is my favorite weekend of the year. While she is supportive in everything I do in life (emotionally, professionally, spiritually), she exhibits her support the most when it comes to eating. My bloated face will utter, "Should I eat this? I'm just so full." and she will be the first to say, "I'll share it with you," and sometimes she will just eat most of it for me, and that's when I know we are really best friends.</div>
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We supported each other a lot as we waited patiently in line at <a href="http://www.rosesluxury.com/">Rose's Luxury</a>, easily D.C.'s hottest restaurant, Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant of 2014, and probably the only restaurant in town that you have to wait around two hours before it even opens to secure your meal that night. That's right. No reservations. Just lots and lots of ladies who want to eat and willing to stand in line at 3 p.m.</div>
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It gives you a lot of time to think about your life's priorities, check out the fashions of the people in front of you, eavesdrop on conversations, mutter curses under your breath for people whose parties suddenly triple in size, and yada yada.</div>
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And then when the doors open at 5p, you pray you make the first cut (they stagger seating to not overwhelm the kitchen), or you'll wait just a slim half hour for the second seating. You could also give them a preferred time you'd rather eat, if you don't feel particularly geriatric in wanting to dine at 5p.</div>
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We made the second seating, marveled at the charming interior upon entry, and all the gorgeous plants they have on the window ledges (I'll take one of everything please!)<br />
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look at this furry little fun guy.</div>
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And then after all the gushing was over, we ordered practically everything on the menu, minus the family style, because, we had to call the limits somewhere.</div>
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The complimentary bread is the most brilliant ever - potato bread served with buttermilk butter, the itty bittiest bacon bits and even tinier chives .</div>
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With each swift spread of butter on the slice, you feel like you're eating a baked potato, and what can be better than that?!</div>
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The Vietnamese pate was a dream, served with lusty crusty bread, the lightest, fluffiest pate you can imagine piled high with fresh herbs and peanuts.<br />
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Slather everything onto the bread (don't forget the pickled cucumbers or the chilis!), and it's everything you love about banh mi! My belly bursts with happiness!</div>
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The most popular dish at Rose's Luxury is the lychee salad, which in and of itself sounds pretty awesome,</div>
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but its the coconut cream foam that is pure magic - it envelops absolutely everything when you mix it altogether,<br />
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like over all the herbs, and slivers of red onions, and the peanuts, the pork sausage, and habanero and the other random bits and bobs you'll never be able to identify, but which you'll love all the same, because the flavor combination is nothing short of sublime. Really! And later we thought about ordering another one of these, and I don't think we ever did, and now that is easily one of my life's regrets.</div>
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The Japanese hangar steak, served with Japanese mustard and eel sauce,</div>
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was sweet and ever so tender. Melty meaty goodness.</div>
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Our waitress surprised us with the grilled avocado - "you must try this! you'll love it!" and she was 150% right. Something seemingly so simple but completely fantastic - I started looking into cotija cheese the minute I got back into NYC, because this is how I want to eat all my avocados, with tomatillo, poblano, cotija cheese and onions. Spicy, savory, fresh, amazing.<br />
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The softshell crab was a meaty marvel, lightly battered for just the right amount of crunch. Served with slivers of white asparagus and tangy balsamic, the dish was remarkably light and fresh tasting.</div>
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The housemade reginetti pasta, squiggly little buggers, tasted equally as fresh, simply tossed with parmesan, chili, garlic and squash blossoms.</div>
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The world needs more squash blossoms, amirite?</div>
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And finally we ended with just a couple of desserts, a gorgeously plated coconut ice cream with tuile cookies that transported us to the tropics,<br />
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and the eggplant tartin, which sounded all sorts of bizarre, but ended up being so delicious.<br />
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Served warm with luscious ice cream, you probably wouldn't be able to guess that it is eggplant if you were served it blindly, but you'd sense that something was strange about it, but in a good way, no, a great way.</div>
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Sad to see the meal to end, but our check brought a smile. One, that feast totaled less than $100 (!!! !! !!!) and two, check out the third line item: "5 Side of Winning." They knew they had made believers out of us, and it is true. I can't wait to go back, two hours wait or not, that lychee salad beckons me in my dreams.</div>
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating:</b> <i>Just yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes!</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.rosesluxury.com/">Rose's Luxury</a></div>
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717 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com2Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.03687070000000938.7094713 -77.3595942 39.1049133 -76.714147200000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-27426226790017492912015-05-12T21:12:00.002-05:002015-05-12T21:12:59.991-05:00Oiji: Adorable Korean Tapas in East Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What? Korean food outside of K-town?</div>
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Yes.</div>
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And you should go. To <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oijirestaurant">Oiji</a>. Soon. (Maybe put some pants on first.)</div>
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Take a seat among friends. Share libations like rum & pepper cocktails with pepper syrup and blackberry shrubs.</div>
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Remark on the simple decor (it's really so cute) while you wait for your food - order several plates to share, it's the only way.</div>
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The fried chicken arrived first, and the waiter swiftly stated, as I grasped my camera with both hands, "You really should eat this as soon as possible." Fine. I know the tapioca flour batter waits for no one, but it really took no time to polish at all - the batter was almost ethereal, so light and crisp.</div>
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The smoked mackerel was a must order for us - one of my favorite fish. We dressed it with a simple squeeze of lemon and citrus soy - it really didn't need the soy, so naturally flavorful, but who can resist using that charming brush made of chives? <br />
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The beef tartare, topped with a brilliant glob of slow-cooked egg yolk, was instantly the table favorite, topped with ramp aioli, sticks of daikon and immaculate cubes of sweet cantaloupe. The beef was exceptionally light and amazing.</div>
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The truffle seafood plate with crisp rice is finished tableside with a pour of the hot seafood broth over crisp rice.</div>
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The rice soaks up a bit of the immensely flavorful broth, but maintains all the crunchy fun you'd want for the party in your mouth. The soup comes with a few mussels, calamari rings and shrimp, and feels like spoonfuls of instant comfort.<br />
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The slow-cooked oxtail with root vegetables is a hearty, meaty plate with two thick pieces of oxtail. The dish is unexpectedly sweet and would be wonderful with a nice bowl of steamed, white rice, which could be ordered on the side. We didn't bother with any rice though, instead, we just picked up the oxtail with our grubby hands and chewed that braised meat clean off the bone. (Okay, I wish we did that.)</div>
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We ended with the honey chips, freshly fried to order, unbelievably light and crispy, yet somehow glazed with honey and absolute magic. The chips are just the slight bit spicy and sweet and all the bit as delicious as everyone says. Apparently these chips are THE rage in Korea, and now you can get it for $5 in your very own city!<br />
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We ended up getting dessert in the LES later, because sticky toffee pudding is all the rage in my stomach right now, and we'll have more on that later, but next time I'll have to see what Oiji has in the sweets department, because there definitely will be a next time.<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: Best chips. Best beef tartare. And best water refills (gotta love these little things!) So much more on the menu to explore and hopefully adore!<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/oijirestaurant">Oiji</a><br />
119 1st Ave, New York 10003<br />
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com4New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275822 -74.651388300000022 41.097985200000004 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-85628323584808537112015-04-12T17:17:00.000-05:002015-04-12T17:17:01.166-05:00A Small Flushing Dumpling Crawl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Regrets in life:<br />
1. Not going to Flushing enough<br />
2. Not having a big enough stomach to eat everything in Flushing<br />
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Anybody who is anybody should go to Flushing and do a dumpling crawl. Like get on all fours. Go spot to spot. Ignore weird looks. Devour too many dumplings.<br />
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The gang met up in Flushing ages ago (too long ago), and this was what we ate:<br />
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1. Tianjin Dumpling House - Golden Shopping Mall (home of the original Xian Famous Foods)<br />
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Tianjin makes dumplings to order, which is the coolest thing you can imagine, and which we would definitely have to try next time - I mean, squid dumpling can be a reality?!</div>
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And while they offer a variety of prepared foods like duck heads and innards, we stuck to the dumpling menu, which had several options, including their famous lamb and squash dumplings, which no one was game for (pun intended as always),</div>
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and instead stuck with the classics of the egg and glass noodle dumplings</div>
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were light and lovely, tasting so, so healthy.</div>
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The pork and chive which always, always hits the spot, especially with the slightly thicker and chewy wrapper here that was quite delicious.</div>
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Ask for a side of their house sauce which is just pure garlicky goodness that adds a spicy punch to every bite.<br />
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The quintessential chili oil is a great complement too.</div>
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We enjoyed the golden blobs of pumpkin sesame balls, served in a very slightly sweetened broth,</div>
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perfect glutinous chew and satisfying ground black sesame.<br />
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2. We also tried a bit of the pork dumplings at Lan Zhou, which took some convincing to get a plate of. These dumplings had a bit more funk, reminiscent of red wine and a thinner wrapper, which makes them go down all more easily, but I did prefer the chewy pork from Tianjin.</div>
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3. We took a stroll around the block to White Bear, a literal hole-in-the-wall </div>
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manned by a husband and wife team who just churns out</div>
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these gloriously white beauts.<br />
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The dumplings are more like rounds of pork wrapped in pristine rice crepes and dressed only in gritty spice, vinegar and chili oil. It's not as spicy as it looks, but it's as tasty as you can imagine. Completely unique texture than any other dumpling you've ever had, it's definitely recommended as your destination dumpling.<br />
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4. We made our final stop at Sifu Chio, renowned for their authentic Hong Kong style noodles and wonton. Our vegetarian eater opted for coconut tapioca pudding (cold and creamy)</div>
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while we tackled a couple bowls of wonton noodles with the brainy dumplings I attribute to Hong Kong.<br />
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Upon first bite, you'll find a large shrimp hugging its little ground pork friend for dear life, making it a terrific little turf and surf dumpling to devour.<br />
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The broth and noodles, lovely with a few healthy spoonfuls of chili sauce, and tasted pretty close to the bowls I had in Hong Kong (*sigh* of happy remembrance!).</div>
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Every time I go to Flushing, I'm reminded how much I love it, how much I need to visit it more often, and how great Chinese food really can be.</div>
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<b>Tianjin Dumpling House</b></div>
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Basement Store #33, 41-28 Main St, Flushing, NY 11355</div>
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<b>Lan Zhou Noodle</b></div>
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41-28 Main St Flushing, NY 11355</div>
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<b>White Bear</b></div>
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135-02 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11354</div>
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<b>Sifu Chio</b></div>
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40-09 Prince St Flushing, NY 11354</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-45105586952933527972015-02-15T14:03:00.001-06:002015-02-15T14:03:07.967-06:00Hotel Tabard Inn<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Happy day after Valentine's Day, y'all! I'm still suffering from food coma.</span><br />
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Dan and I started our gluttonous vday with brunch at one of my favorite spots in DC - <a href="http://tabardinn.com/">Hotel Tabard Inn</a>. DC residents have treasured this place forever... who wouldn't love a cozy, romantic, bed-and-breakfast-type inn a stone's throw away from Dupont Circle? The Inn oozes charm, and its restaurant oozes all kinds of deliciousness.</div>
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The bread basket is top notch.</div>
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The blueberry muffin is slightly lemony and delightful. The sliced herby bread was perfectly soft and packed with flavor. The couple sitting next to us didn't even touch their bread basket before handing it back to the waiter to make room on their table for entrees, and I had to muster all the self control within me not to reach over and grab their basket. </div>
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Tabard Inn's donuts are NOT to be missed. Freshly fried, covered in cinnamon sugar, and served with vanilla whipped cream... these. are. heaven.</div>
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I can't describe how pillowy and perfect these donuts are. Don't forget to put a huge dollop of the vanilla whipped cream on each bite, because that whipped cream is to die for. If you have any leftover whipped cream (which you should not), it is advised to just eat it by the spoonful.</div>
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We also had the scrambled eggs with cream cheese and chives.</div>
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The eggs were wonderfully fluffy and creamy. I also thoroughly enjoyed the home fries with their crispy exterior and great onion duet. The housemade sausage was rather mediocre, however.</div>
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The frittata with zucchini, fontina, and caramelized onions did not disappoint.</div>
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Simple yet well done. The clumps of caramelized onions were such pleasant bites throughout.</div>
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Moral of the story is -- Hotel Tabard Inn is THE place to brunch in DC, and worth all the praise. Brb, gonna go get more of those donuts...</div>
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<a href="http://tabardinn.com/restaurant/">Hotel Tabard Inn</a></div>
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1739 N St NW</div>
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Washington, DC 20036</div>
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202-331-8528</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/7/106362/restaurant/DC/Dupont-Circle/Hotel-Tabard-Inn-Washington"><img alt="Hotel Tabard Inn on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/106362/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380384280280985098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-376942409438626212015-01-19T17:05:00.001-06:002015-01-19T17:05:38.558-06:00Hangawi - A Korean Vegetarian Wonderland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If there's anything that I never thought I would love, it would be vegetarian Korean. I mean, what could be more delicious than impeccably marinated beef shortribs grilled over openflame?</div>
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But now I question everything I once knew about the world after I have fallen head over heels in love with <a href="http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/">Hangawi </a>- an incredibly warm restaurant in K-town that is so perfect for dates (take off your shoes, slip into these little wooden bunkers under soft candlelight!) and anyone who would appreciate good ol' fashioned adorableness.</div>
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Greeshma and Diana came off the Boston bus, and we bee-lined for Hangawi for their last seating at 10:45p. To satiate their raging hunger, we shared the following:</div>
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The most amazing ginger iced tea you will ever have served in the most rustically crafted ceramic cups. The spice from each sip will burn your throat in the very best way.</div>
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Jap chae, bundled into parchment paper and cut open at your table, releasing the aromatic steam into the heavens.</div>
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Inside the paper package are lovely strands of clear noodles, lightly seasoned to perfection, tangled with mushrooms and vegetables.<br />
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Wedges of kimchee are served at the table to nibble in between plates.<br />
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Black sesame soup which is so thick both in texture and black sesame flavor - hard to eat more than a few spoonfuls, so best to share if you want to try it.</div>
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Organic wheatfree kale pancakes, made with rice flour, and served with a slightly sweetened soy dipping sauce.</div>
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So addictively crispy and probably very healthy - it has the words kale and organic in it right? </div>
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It was Matsutake mushroom season when we visited which meant an inaugural return of the king of mushrooms.The mushrooms grow at the base of pine trees in the mountains of Korea.<br />
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It is because they are so coveted that this plate of mushrooms cost $32. Without a doubt, one of the most expensive mushroom dishes I have ever had, but they were nicely cooked with tender chew, tossed with eggplant and soy ginger paste sauce.<br />
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One of my favorite dishes at Hangawi is the tofu steak, which doesn't sound particularly amazing, but slabs of tender tofu come sizzling on this stone plate, drenched in the most unctious, flavorful, gingeriffic, tangy thick sauce that you must coat every piece of tofu and scrape off into your bowl of fluffy steamed rice.<br />
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I would eat my hand if it was covered in this sauce. </div>
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For dessert, I would skip Hangawi and head to Grace Street (to be another post), but they do have a few offerings here - all which are vegan and dairy-free.</div>
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We had the chocolate tofu pudding that I know people claim tastes just like pudding, but it really doesn't. It's not terrible, but it's not great.<br />
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The blueberry coconut cake was a bit on the drier side, and though the flavor was good, the texture was also a little strange. It just made me miss real cake.<br />
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However, the amount of which we enjoyed the rest of meal more than compensated for the less than stellar desserts, so all you meat-eaters, take a chance, and romance your man or lady here soon !<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>I crave the ginger tea here about every day, and think about the jap chae and tofu steak just as much - definite recommend for one of the more unique restaurants in New York and K-town!</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/">Hangawi</a><br />
12 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016<br />
<i>Reservations encouraged</i><br />
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com412 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016, USA40.746541 -73.9848021999999915.2245065 -115.29339619999999 66.2685755 -32.676208199999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-17170533354187889512015-01-18T15:19:00.000-06:002015-01-18T15:19:03.947-06:00One of New York's Best Brunches: Root & Bone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whoops. It's somehow almost February. </div>
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I blame holidays. Working in Buffalo. And. Good ol' laziness.</div>
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To be honest, I am not sure if anyone reads this anymore, which is sad. Because no one will see the glory of the brunch at <a href="http://www.rootnbone.com/">Root & Bone.</a></div>
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A few months after my initial enamoration with the restaurant, Diana and Greeshma came through New York, and we shared my current favorite fried chicken along with half of the rest of the brunch menu.</div>
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I am so glad we went. It was even better than I had remembered.</div>
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One of the most amazing things we discovered is the beauty of the gooey cheesy corn bread. It comes overflowing in this freakishly adorable cast iron skillet.</div>
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Each spoonful elicits moans of pleasure - tang from the buttermilk whip and cheddar and sweetened with fresh corn niblets - the result just creamy wonder.<br />
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The biscuits were remarkably improved since my first visit, golden and gorgeous,</div>
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with beautifully tender interior, perfect for sopping up that chicken au jus and toasted sesame seeds.<br />
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The winter citrus and melon salad was beautiful - chunks of grapefruit, orange and tangerine tossed with melon and snips of basil. The acidity chosen carefully to cut<br />
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the fat from the awesomely tender bacon drizzled with maple syrup. Thick, salty and sweet. Delicious.</div>
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We shared a basket of fried chicken among the four of us which was plenty,<br />
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though the thighs remain the absolute best cut and would just recommend getting an entire basket of thighs if you could - such flavorful succulence with every bite !<br />
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We also checked out their desserts for your sake, and can confidently confirm that they are amazing. The chocolate pecan pie is served warm, and is studded with huge pecans and just enough chocolatey goo to keep the whole pie together. <br />
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My hands-down favorite was the toffee pudding with its praline ice cream. Just look at it. It's swimming in caramel, the pudding is warm and melts in your mouth, and there's nothing else you can really want after this except a nap.<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating: </b><i>One of my favoritest brunches ever in all of New York. Just get everything and love yourself and the new food baby you'll conceive afterwards.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.rootnbone.com/">Root & Bone</a><br />
200 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009<br />
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-65996888953004605262014-10-21T22:10:00.004-05:002014-10-21T22:10:48.095-05:00New York's Best Secret Burger and Fries: Atera Lounge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the basement of Atera is its lounge, a cozy little space with jet-black leather sofas and a handful of shiny wooden tables.</div>
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While restaurant guests can come down to the lounge to enjoy a pre-20 course drink, </div>
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anyone can come visit the lounge (they take reservations !) to try a number of Atera's small plates (like the signature lobster roll or caviar macaron) or the soon-to-be-ultra-famous burger.</div>
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Naturally, we did all of the above. Though there's a small menu of cocktails, the mixologist is more than happy to make you anything that tickles your liver's fancy with a variety of bitters and housemade juices at his disposal. He will also, very patiently, explain any kind of alcohol question you may have - like history of the drink and the full creation process. (We watched the mixologist's patience being tested by a particularly clueless gent during our visit.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute cocktail with egg whites and citrus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The penicillin, with whiskey and ginger</td></tr>
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We shared the beet jerky to start which comes as two dark knobs to an order, served alongside buttermilk cream.<br />
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The mixologist described how the beet jerky is cooked six ways to Sunday - it's baked, dehydrated, rehydrated, steamed, and whatever else possible, and whatever they do, it's delicious. </div>
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The texture impeccably like beef jerky, but with the irresistible subtle earthiness of beets. The added cream is absolute icing on the beet jerky cake.</div>
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And our excitement for that novelty vanished after the main attraction appeared before us.</div>
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The Atera burger is made with a house-ground blend of four meats: short rib, chuck, marrow and tendon, topped with perfectly melted white cheddar, and encased in the most beautiful possible sesame-studded brioche bun.</div>
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With the burger comes a set of accoutrement: pickled red peppers, pickled red onions, butter pickles and lettuce, alongside a neatly stacked set of the most incredible fries known to man. You should know me. I don't like to use hyperboles, but there really isn't a large enough hyperbole to capture just how amazing they really are.</div>
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The fries are blanched 6 or 7 times prior to frying, which creates the most velvety potato texture that instantly melts in your mouth, but yet somehow maintains a lovely little crunchy exterior.</div>
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AND THEN. As if your life could not get even better, the fries are served with a duck pate mousse, (because ketchup would just be too declasse).</div>
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While the Atera burger is simply one of the best burgers I've had in New York, or even ever (it's so meaty, textural and wonderful!), the fries certainly outshine it, and for both of them to embody a single plate, well you simply have to wonder what have you done to deserve this, and you are probably not worthy, and that's probably true, but welcome to burger heaven anyway.</div>
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Go! How often can you get a two Michelin-starred burger? Seriously the best burger and fries in New York.</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.ateranyc.com/">Atera Lounge</a></div>
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77 Worth St</div>
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New York, NY</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1624949/restaurant/Tribeca/Atera-NYC"><img alt="Atera on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1624949/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com477 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013, USA40.7169484 -74.00560480000001515.1949139 -115.31419880000001 66.2389829 -32.697010800000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-80038344689491268322014-10-01T18:26:00.000-05:002014-10-01T18:26:48.928-05:00The Glorious Brick Chicken @ Maysville<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://maysvillenyc.com/">Maysville</a> pitches itself as a whiskey bar and restaurant, and indeed it delivers on alcohol (and food) in spades, as evident from the glowing display of bottles behind the wooden bar that greets you upon entry.</div>
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A full page of whiskey inspired cocktails and mixed drinks accompany a book with pages upon pages of all sorts of whiskeys to properly whet your whistle. I ordered the Nor'easter, with bourbon, maple syrup, ginger beer and lime, and it was delicious - essentially a delightful little bourbon-fueled mojito.</div>
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Our bellies were raging with hunger, so we ordered two appetizers along with our entrees. We were glad we did. The portions are tiny, and plates are not really quite designed to share.<br />
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Fried oysters, came five to an order for $15. The oysters were small, but flavorful, topped with a tasty, creamy chili mayo and chili.<br />
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The black spaghetti ($15) was essentially four healthy bites of briny noodle and thin slices of grilled squid. Light and lovely but so, so little.</div>
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The duck entree featured duck cooked two ways - a seared duck breast, solidly seared and moist, and duck confit (with a beautifully crisp layer of fat), with rounds of ripe plum and cute wisps of haricot verts. I'm sure in its own right, you would be happy with this dish, but unfortunately, we had tasted this plate after we had tasted...<br />
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Maysville's popular chicken dish, with breast and thigh, cooked under brick until the skin is crisp and crackly, and the meat just brilliantly succulent, nearly melting in the mouth. Oh that moist, moist chicken. <br />
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Dipped into the creamy sweet potato puree, soaked in beautiful pan juices, every bite made me dance with such joy in my seat. The boy and I remarked how we just never order chicken at restaurants, and maybe we have been missing out, because this chicken is just a marvel - and for chicken to be even better than duck, you can only imagine how much of a believer I really am of this plate.<br />
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With the check comes a lovely little plate of lemon shortbread and caramel truffles. The truffle had to be the best piece of chocolate I've had in sometime. We wished our waiter came by for us to ask for more. I think he knew better than to come by again - our eyes instantly ravenous from the taste of creamy cocoa-dusted chocolate.</div>
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Maysville is exorbitantly expensive for some dishes, and the portions are small, but dammit, if that chicken isn't pure perfection, and I will come back anytime to lick that plate clean.</i><br />
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<a href="http://maysvillenyc.com/">Maysville</a><br />
17 W 26th St<br />
New York, NY</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1712966/restaurant/Chelsea/Maysville-NYC"><img alt="Maysville on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1712966/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-34313095382008152812014-09-23T20:13:00.001-05:002014-09-23T21:35:28.867-05:00Chicago ! Alinea, Again.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know it might be a bit much to visit <a href="http://www.alinearestaurant.com/">Alinea</a> two times in a matter of months, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta to do, and sometimes what you gotta do is eat 15 more exquisite and creative dishes from the world's best restaurant.<br />
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Although several of the dishes were the same from my <a href="http://handi-eats.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-most-fun-restaurant-ever-alinea.html">prior visit with Diana</a>, I was delighted to find so many were new, beginning with the first course: tangy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossetra">ossetra </a>caviar with caper gelee and brioche foam. The foam was the absolute best, as you can imagine, capturing the essence of buttery bread with every tiny bubble.<br />
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Second was the fun little salsify dish,</div>
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the prize intertwined into the nest of twigs. I let the boy have a go in the search. And then we ate the amazingly beef-jerkyesque salsify with great satisfaction.</div>
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Brown buttered skate was presented on a beautiful paper-like porcelain plate, the flesh deliciously tender with hints of lemon.</div>
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Heirloom tomatoes were blanketed by ashed goat cheese, disguised on the piece of slate like rock and accented by a creative spray of licorice graffiti. Definitely a dish for the goat cheese lovers.<br />
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One of my new favorites was the corn, which appeared...like corn.</div>
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Corn reinvented to the core(n) of course - underneath the grilled layer of the sweetest corn was the sweetest corn pudding mixed with truffle oil, manchego cheese and chunks of ham fat (yum).<br />
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Rhubarb truffles were again grated atop earthy celery root, celery branch and sweet red wine reduction.<br />
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Perfectly poached lobster was served like a work of art, an autumn palette with rounds of beautiful curry sauce, coconut cream and delicately sliced cucumber and grapefruit squares.<br />
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I could eat ten of these. All day. Everyday.</div>
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Sweetbreads took the form as Chinese takeout once more, flavored with orange citrus and ginko nut, and served with cinnamon sticks, sweet warmth wafted from the charred ends to heighten the experience.<br />
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A bubble plate of lily bulbs, rambutans and lime caviar served to cleanse our palates - rosy and refreshing.</div>
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The following course repeated the burning coals on the table, hiding the meat treats inside,</div>
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instead of wagyu beef, which Diana and I adored last time, pork belly was hidden within. The slab of tender pork was served on the midnight stump with very charred parsnip, black trumpet mushrooms and inky kombu seaweed crisps.<br />
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Another personal favorite of the meal is the hot potato / cold potato dish, a time sensitive affair which requires you to immediately pull the pin out of the plate, releasing the skewered potato coated with black truffle and cubes of cheese into the warm buttery liquid. You take the whole thing as a shot, and it's just waves of hot and cold and absolute deliciousness in your mouth for a solid minute afterward.<br />
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The final meat dish was a repeat of the plumes of dragon's breath aromatics pouring over<br />
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dumplings made of foie gras,</div>
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duck breast and lobster mushroom. I loved bites of the ever so melty duck swirled into the strands of the sweet, caramelized sauce.<br />
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Blueberry made its brilliant reappearance in the form of crisp airy foam, chewy strands of cold bubblegum that melted instantly in our mouths, with lilac and sorrel. <br />
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The weather was a bit humid, so the balloons floated lower than usual, and our waiters had us attack the balloons immediately upon hand-off. My voice was higher than you can ever imagine and elicited much laughter from nearby tables. My favorite !<br />
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The final dessert was live artistry and magic with ripe, golden-fleshed passion fruit as the star.</div>
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So many wonderful and delicious elements on the table, including a smashed ball of solidified coconut cream, thin sheets of crisp, sweet chocolate, brandied cherries, caramelized pineapple, pieces of key lime candy in edible wrappers.</div>
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<span id="goog_1077999810"></span><span id="goog_1077999811"></span>Again, all wonder and brilliance.<br />
Again, I love you Alinea.<br />
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<a href="http://www.alinearestaurant.com/">Alinea</a><br />
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614</div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com3Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-35132261666408459812014-09-16T21:14:00.001-05:002014-09-17T12:40:46.790-05:00California ! Snacking at The Boiling Crab & Snow Station<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I spent several days in California recently to visit family. We stayed with my aunt in Garden Grove in the last two days which entailed just sitting at home, marveling at the fruit from her garden, eating the fruit, and watching Vietnamese television. </div>
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So in the downtime, when both aunt and mom lay on the couch and start falling asleep, I jaunt off to hang out with Jean to partake in the art of "snacking."</div>
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Garden Grove is in the heart of Little Saigon, and in addition to the dozens of pho places that dot every corner, there are also several cajun seafood spots in each marketplace - the most popular being <a href="http://www.theboilingcrab.com/">The Boiling Crab.</a><br />
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The waits can be intense at The Boiling Crab, but once your lucky name is called, you are escorted to your table which is promptly covered with a clean sheet of white plastic. A mound of limes is dumped on top for you to make your own salt and pepper dipping sauce.</div>
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Since we were here just to "snack," we just shared a half dozen briny oysters (also accompanied by many limes), a pile of cajun fries (which were long, crispy and delicious),<br />
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and a pound of shrimp in the 'whole sha-bang' style sauce, which is the kitchen sink of butter, garlic and spice. The levels of spice you can order are: mild, medium or XXX - the medium ends up being just fine.<br />
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The shrimp were beautifully fat, perfectly cooked, and plump enough for dipping in the bag of sauce or your own handmade salt/pepper/lime concoction. The pound of shrimp had Jean and me busy for half an hour as we sucked on heads, filling our bellies up with sweet, tasty shellfish. <br />
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After, we cleansed our palates and cooled our jets at Snow Station, a Taiwanese style shaved snow spot. Sizes start in mini then baby bear and go up to gigantic loch ness monster sized plates. The baby bear seemed ample.<br />
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The best thing that happens at <a href="http://snow-station.com/">Snow Station</a> is after you pick your flavor (we did green tea), and the two complimentary toppings (jackfruit + lychee popping boba), you can pick a sauce which there are many options but you should only choose one: <u>CONDENSED MILK</u>.</div>
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And then the clerk will say, "Tell me when," as she squeezes the most giant bottle of condensed milk over your frozen treat, zigzagging back and forth until your mind will tell you to stop but your heart will tell them to go on. </div>
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The clerk will then say, "Feel free to come back up for more sauce." What? Even more condensed milk is at my ready disposal? Did I just die and enter heaven?</div>
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And the answer was, yes, I did enter heaven. Each spoonful melted on my tongue like freshly fallen snow, melding with the creamy richness of the condensed milk, the fruity pop from each boba and the tender sweetness of good ol' jackfruit.<br />
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God, I love snacking in California.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theboilingcrab.com/">The Boiling Crab</a><br />
14241 N Euclid St, Garden Grove, CA 92843<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/20/240860/restaurant/OC/Boiling-Crab-Garden-Grove"><img alt="Boiling Crab on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/240860/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://snow-station.com/">Snow Station</a><br />
9938 Bolsa Ave #117, Westminster, CA 92683</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/20/1712031/restaurant/OC/Snow-Station-Westminster"><img alt="Snow Station on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1712031/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1Garden Grove, CA, USA33.7739053 -117.9414477000000333.6683078 -118.10280920000002 33.879502800000004 -117.78008620000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-10432024397106598352014-09-13T19:06:00.000-05:002014-09-13T19:10:52.013-05:00happiness at caffebene<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">hello, there! many, MANY apologies for my long-time absence. with my wedding finally over, i am now able to indulge in all the delicious food i've been missing during my wedding diet (it was rough), and more importantly, able to share it with you!</span><br />
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the first thing i ate when i got back to boston after my nuptials was a huge chunk of BREAD (my favorite food group). namely, garlic and cheese honey bread at <a href="http://www.caffebeneusa.com/">caffebene</a>. this korean chain opened in boston only recently, and i'm so glad it's a stone's throw away from my apt!</div>
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the fluffiest bread with a slight honey sweetness, which becomes more noticeable on the bottom of the bread (which is nicely buttered), topped with cheese and garlic spread. and look at the the height on that thing - like texas toast on steroids. i was instantly in love.</div>
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a few days later we returned for the ginormous mango bingsoo... with the best ripe chunks of mango and a scoop of gelato on top. amazing, creamy gelato.</div>
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it's a lot bigger than it looks here. must be shared. i will be back for more. maybe tomorrow.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">caffebene is a great place to eat happy foods and hang out with friends, or to plop down and study/work for the day. a welcome addition to my neighborhood. :)</span></div>
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boston folks, get yourselves to caffebene now! free wifi + all the best carbs = happy patrons.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.caffebeneusa.com/">caffebene</a></b></div>
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<b>333 massachusetts ave</b></div>
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<b>boston, ma 02115</b></div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/4/1863281/restaurant/Back-Bay/Caffe-Bene-Boston"><img alt="Caffé Bene on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1863281/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17380384280280985098noreply@blogger.com1333 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA42.3422622 -71.084673716.8202277 -112.3932677 67.8642967 -29.776079699999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-25706353459747730062014-08-28T20:52:00.003-05:002014-08-28T20:55:35.746-05:00Sunny & Annie's: The Best Bodega in NYC & The Creative Little Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We already know that in the depths of Alphabet City lies <a href="http://handi-eats.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-fried-chicken-at-root-bone-national.html">some of the best fried chicken</a> you will ever eat, but what you should also know is that it has so many other things to offer like</div>
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The Best Community Garden in NYC - <a href="http://www.creativelittlegarden.org/">The Creative Little Garden</a>, a hidden little oasis with bubbling waterfalls, benches and a handful of tables tucked throughout the beautifully kept space.</div>
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It is also the very best place to enjoy any of the sandwiches you get from <a href="http://www.sunnyandannies.com/">Sunny & Annie's</a>, what I will decree as the very best bodega in NYC. Not only is the carrot juice, always kept on ice outside, sweet and refreshing, the inside stocked with all sorts of sweets and treats to favor Asians and people's peculiar dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, health-nut, you got it!), but the sandwiches. Oh my gosh, the sandwiches.</div>
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You can see them listed in front of the deli-stand in multi-colored sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper, each sandwich an amalgamation of a million different ingredients, and you'd never think they belong together, but then when you actually see them together like this, you'll think, "I'd eat that."</div>
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And <i>then</i> when you taste it, you'll wonder what has taken so long for those ingredients to get together!<br />
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I haven't been able to deviate from the Pho #2 sandwich since I first took a bite of it. Fresh slices of crisp sweet apple, tender chunks of tofu, thick slices of grilled chicken, sweet and tangy hoisin, oh so creamy avocado, spicy fresh green pepper sauce, cilantro and lettuce <i>all</i> jampacked into a hero. <br />
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How they do it in the tiniest ol' space, I will never know, but the sandwich is infinitely fresh, astoundingly flavorful and just mesmerizing. I savor each final bite like it's an old friend, one that always gives me such warm memories and one whom I can never wait to see again.<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Best sandwiches in the city.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.sunnyandannies.com/">Sunny & Annie's</a><br />
94 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1438997/restaurant/East-Village/Sunny-Annie-Deli-NYC"><img alt="Sunny & Annie Deli on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1438997/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.creativelittlegarden.org/">The Creative Little Garden</a><br />
530 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009</div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-9391178429897483592014-08-27T16:09:00.001-05:002014-08-27T16:09:13.473-05:00Lee-Lee's Rugelach "from a Brother"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Exactly one block from my apartment has been the best hidden treasure I've ever found:<a href="http://leeleesrugelach.com/"> Lee Lee's Baked Goods</a>.<br />
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What is rugelach? I have no idea.</div>
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I just know it's exactly $1, and it looks like this.</div>
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Inside the flaky, cinnamon-sugar dusted pastry is a buttery, delicate interior studded with giant raisins, nuts and a creamy apricot filling. It's absolutely brilliant, disappears within seconds and has you wanting more.</div>
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On the day we went, there was only apricot, and the lady speculated that Mr. Lee might make chocolate the following day. If the apricot was this good, I just wonder how good the chocolate would be. Ugh. They just know how to keep us coming back, one amazing, buttery bite at a time.</div>
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<a href="http://leeleesrugelach.com/">Lee Lee's Baked Goods</a></div>
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283 W 118th St</div>
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New York, NY</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-67380802885156738152014-08-22T14:47:00.000-05:002014-08-22T14:47:29.046-05:00Spanish Tapas & Paella at Barca<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The boy and I had visited Plan B on Mulberry St a couple years ago, excited to try their snake sausage, however, they did not have any the time, had no clue when they would, and we stayed, and somehow ended up spending so much money on so little food that wasn't any good. (The worst possible outcome to that short story, I know.)</div>
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And so Plan B's plan b came through, and <a href="http://www.barca-tapas.com/">Barca </a>has since replaced the restaurant, maintaining the same space, but with a new chef behind the helm and an updated menu more focused on Spanish cuisine.</div>
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The rebranding seemed effective - the restaurant was jammed with lots of people nibbling at small plates, sipping sangrias and having a gay ol' time.</div>
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Compliments of the kitchen appealed to us immediately - fresh, young stalks of asparagus wrapped tightly with salty, serrano ham and a drop of herby, marscapone cheese. A very good start to the meal.</div>
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We continued with the restaurant's namesake ahi tuna appetizer, with plenty of chunks of fresh tuna, but little seasoning and never enough bread for the likes of my fat face.</div>
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The braised brussel sprouts were barely bitter, just tender and deeply fragrant with thyme.</div>
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We deviated from the tapas menu to sample one of the four paellas on the menu: the arroz negro. Arriving in the signature paella pan, the squid ink rice is speckled with bits of tomato and seafood.</div>
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And after the first, second and third bites of hard rice in my mouth, I wondered if maybe I don't know what paella is supposed to taste like. Is the paella rice supposed to be as al dente as true Italian pasta?</div>
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The flavor of the paella was actually quite nice, but the rice was overwhelmingly undercooked, though the waitress expressed that you could have the chefs cook the rice longer, if needed, but yes, this is how it is supposed to be. One day, I will go to Spain and confirm that, but in the meantime, I do know that the shrimp was painfully overcooked, rubbery to the core, and the mussels a little too goopy (yes, a technical term!) so really, it's just a mishmash of unfortunate circumstances.</div>
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As was the tres leches cake that was somehow dry and also hard - as in hard texture and hard to eat.</div>
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And then we glanced down the stretch of tables and saw that most people stuck to tapas, and that maybe that's what we should have to and our experience would have been much different, because the asparagus was brilliant, the brussel sprouts enjoyable, and the drinks pretty healthy and strong.<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Stick to the tapas if you must, or just skip altogether.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.barca-tapas.com/">Barca</a><br />
244 Mulberry St<br />
New York, NY</div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-42165357521471164132014-08-21T10:58:00.000-05:002014-08-21T10:58:08.585-05:00Philly ! Beck's Cajun Cafe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you ever find yourself in Reading Terminal on a Sunday, and your excitement for the day is immediately quashed when you discover that half of the terminal is closed (because the Amish must rest!), do not fret.</div>
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Wipe away those tears and head straight to <a href="http://www.beckscajuncafe.com/">Beck's Cajun Cafe</a>.</div>
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If you are there in the morning, please, please, please <a href="http://handi-eats.blogspot.com/2012/02/philadelphia-capogiro-becks-cajun-cafe.html">order the breakfast sandwich</a>. I beg you. Eat andouille sausage for breakfast and love it!</div>
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If you are there after breakfast, order yourself a shrimp po boy.</div>
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Thrive in the beauty of fried splendor piled high in toasted baguette doused with spicy mayo and hints of lettuce.</div>
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Or order a platter of fried oysters. Sure, they are a bit heavier on the batter, and sure, they do not quite resemble oysters, but they still taste like them, they're crunchy and great. The homefries are addictively dusted with cajun seasoning, and the buttered cornbread is basically cake. Freakishly delicious.</div>
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And then plot your way back to the market on a non-Sunday to really do your life right by eating a dozen apple dumplings and sticky buns.<br />
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<a href="http://www.beckscajuncafe.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beck's Cajun Cafe</span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Reading Terminal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">12th & Arch</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Philadelphia, PA</span></div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/21/1504378/restaurant/Chinatown/Becks-Cajun-Cafe-Philadelphia"><img alt="Beck's Cajun Cafe on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1504378/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1Philadelphia, PA, USA39.952335 -75.16378900000000839.563109499999996 -75.809236000000013 40.3415605 -74.518342tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-81201622425288089872014-08-20T15:38:00.004-05:002014-08-20T15:44:28.987-05:00Chicago! A Bunch of Meats: Hot Doug's & Publican<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Chicago, why has it taken me so long to visit you? Why do you continue to haunt my dreams?</div>
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Diana and I spent about an hour and a half in the hot, hot sun waiting in line with other schmucks at <a href="http://www.hotdougs.com/">Hot Doug's</a>. We just had to. Ol' Mr. Dougie said he's going to stop serving these dawgs in October, so gotta git it while the gittin' is good! (Is this a saying that anyone recognizes outside Texas?)</div>
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We thought Friday early afternoon is a good time to do this. Everyone and their mother and their girlfriend and their brother had the same idea.</div>
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When you wait in line that long, you contemplate a lot of things, like, "Why are we doing this?" (To eat delicious hot dogs!) and "When is this ever going to be over?" (When we are eating delicious hot dogs!)</div>
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You also get time to look at all their cool stuff.</div>
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I need these sort of credentials.</div>
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And then finally, after two sweet hours of bonding and sharing what slivers of shade the tiny awning outside can provide, you can stare down at beauts like these!</div>
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We just ordered a bunch of specials, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. The toppings are fresh, the cheese tangy,</div>
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the sauces completely decadent,<br />
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and the ones with fruit essence, like this one with pear wine reduction, make the dog so sweet, savory and wonderful.</div>
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I wish I could remember more,</div>
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but all you really need to know is that the encased meats are fantastic, with great snap and texture,</div>
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and they are often oozing and gooey with cheese, and that's just how life should be. Cheesy, over the top and great.<br />
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And of course, don't forget the duck fat fries. (No one forgets the duck fat fries.)</div>
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A couple hours later, we made enough space for a dinner at <a href="http://thepublicanrestaurant.com/">The Publican Restaurant</a>. The space is interesting, with corralled booths on the sides, and a U shaped community table setting around the perimeter of the restaurant.</div>
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In a tucked away corner, Diana and I shared smoked mackerel, which was by far the largest mackerel I've ever had, with lots of oily, tasty meat and slivers of fresh citrus,</div>
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a side of fried cauliflower - and as delicious as cauliflower naturally is, it is that much more delicious fried. Completely crisp, ungreasy and awesome. I may have eaten this whole thing myself when Diana wasn't looking.<br />
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The platter of porchetta is honestly enough for at least 3-4 people, but Diana and I tackled what we could, which was easy since</div>
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the porchetta was tender beyond belief, requiring no chew at all, disintegrating immediately like a phone from Mission Impossible. The skin was so flavorful, so fatty, and so ridiculously good (as all pork fat should be).<br />
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And after you finish feasting on all the variety of quality meats the Publican has to offer, immediately order the vacherin.<br />
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It's a cake of sorts, layered with crispy, chewy meringue and bright citrusy ice cream. It's nothing short of brilliant.</div>
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating:</b> <i>The hype of Hot Doug's is deserved but figure out a better time to go (early lunch midweek?). Publican is a positively great place to go with friends, order a bunch of platters and go to town. I just want that porchetta fat to coat my throat and the insides of my arteries again.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.hotdougs.com/">Hot Doug's</a></div>
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3324 North California, Chicago, IL 60618</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/13223/restaurant/Logan-Square/Hot-Dougs-Chicago"><img alt="Hot Doug's on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/13223/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://thepublicanrestaurant.com/">The Publican</a></div>
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837 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/740877/restaurant/West-Loop/The-Publican-Chicago"><img alt="The Publican on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/740877/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com3Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-74250047288320512922014-08-19T10:27:00.002-05:002014-08-21T10:58:22.093-05:00Chicago! The Most Fun Restaurant Ever: Alinea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In our trip to Chicago, I surprised Diana with a dinner at world-renowned <a href="http://www.alinearestaurant.com/">Alinea</a>. It was a place we had always talked about going to, never found ourselves in Chicago at the same time, and now in the height of her upcoming wedding, the stars were finally aligned for us!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The doors of the kitchen are wide open to the restaurant waiting area.</td></tr>
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The restaurant interior is stark, with violet lighting and immaculate leaves of rhubarb hanging over each table. The wait staff is friendly, often funny, setting a much different tone to the dinner than Per Se or Atera.</div>
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Each dish is remarkably playful. The opening "plate" was a basket of woven twigs. The task, the waiter explained, was to find the two pieces of salsify that were hidden inside.</div>
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We turned the basket here and there, studied each branch ad nauseum,</div>
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until Diana spotted the first one! </div>
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A dehydrated piece of salsify with the subtle texture and flavor of beef jerky, seeped in soy and sodium.</div>
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The next whimsical plate featured lobster with colorful plops and delicate squares of gelees and creams. Mush them all together, they encouraged - mix and match to your heart's delight - and we were delighted to find that everything was wonderfully synchronous, a marvelous medley of Indian flavors in our mouths.<br />
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The waiter then set down a mysterious pile of coals upon our table without explanation. <br />
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We didn't have too much time to think about it, when our Chinese takeout appeared.</div>
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Unbelievably playful, with charred cinnamon sticks (for necessary aromatics) as chopsticks<br />
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to eat General Tso-style sweetbreads. Never having sweetbreads before, I fell in love with them, resembling the fattiest, meltiest chicken nuggets ever.</div>
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And then the coals were ignited. </div>
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More distractions though: ebi, with broccoli stem and sea grapes, beautiful and earthy.<br />
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The coals were finally diffused to uncover a piece of charred sorrel and a wagyu filet. The server slices off most of the charred edges of the sorrel, but leaves some of it on, for a little taste of smokiness.<br />
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The plate is a darkened tree stump with inky black sauces. The beef is forever tender, no chew required, and the smokiness from the open flame is apparent with every bite.<br />
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A delicate glass bowl of lily bulb petals and tiny rambutan pearls cleanse our palates.<br />
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The waiter than grabs our hanging rhubarb to shave 'rhubarb truffles' onto our next dish. Isn't he the cutest thing?</div>
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Fresh ricotta, freshly shaved rhubarb, celery root and licorice make up this ridiculously fun little salad.<br />
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The waiter excitedly presented the next dish, and said, "I bet you can't guess what the crispy thing is."<br />
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"Oh, you mean the pig's ear?" He didn't bank on Diana and I knowing just about every pig part there is (you don't get this porky without knowing this stuff!). This plate was by far the most beautiful pig ear plate we've ever had though. Served with wood ear mushrooms, it was one "earie" dish.</div>
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A raviolo filled with black truffle, asparagus and the most pristine sliver of parmesan was entirely explosive with rich flavor.<br />
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Next, a vase filled with dragon's breath poured onto our table and </div>
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over duck "dumplings" made of foie gras and </div>
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in copper bowls, we were given bites of duck breast and a rare duck heart atop an addictively thick, sweetened sauce.</div>
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And then we entered into the forays of dessert with bubble gum noodles, tart blueberries, and tangs of lemon.</div>
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Followed by the best treat ever, and worth the meal alone, candy balloons inflated with helium with a green apple candy rope string. The balloons are handed with careful instructions: put your mouth on the balloon, inhale, chat for fun, and eat. Also, please take off your glasses.<br />
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Our neighbor did not want to take off his glasses and dove right in.<br />
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His glasses were completely covered with candy, but so worth it! The balloons taste just like fruit rollups but a thousand times more fun.<br />
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And then the act of resistance, chefs come to the table and perform a work of art atop the rubber-matted table.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnmbiXbbDqMFVyZpANI-b9-9pvBJeb3hKVJNbkmfHcCFTuMVLhp6zsdBsfZ2I0Fk_c8NIYrmz0_35htvMzLd8FNErtj0BWXz0qXFwCBQst_OlqPNXdnbtqqSJGdMRHCQ2ekiPkXRXA7c/s1600/_DSC0780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnmbiXbbDqMFVyZpANI-b9-9pvBJeb3hKVJNbkmfHcCFTuMVLhp6zsdBsfZ2I0Fk_c8NIYrmz0_35htvMzLd8FNErtj0BWXz0qXFwCBQst_OlqPNXdnbtqqSJGdMRHCQ2ekiPkXRXA7c/s1600/_DSC0780.jpg" height="640" width="423" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tools.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best part - sprinkling glittered crumbs over everything.</td></tr>
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The dessert is molecular wizardy, hot chocolate freezing before our eyes into a thin cylindrical disk.</div>
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My favorite part was of course the candied basil (have you ever dreamed of such a thing?), and of course, everything else. The chocolate was so creamy, the hazelnut crumbles a crunchy delight, and though we did not feel full coming into this dessert, this is what ended up rounding our bellies so.<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating:</b> <i>We avoided any kind of description of Alinea entering this meal, and found ourselves fully surprised at every step. And though some dishes were better than others, you can't help but walk out of this restaurant feeling like you've had the most magical and unique experience, and you can understand why Alinea is consistently ranked among the top restaurants in the world.</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.alinearestaurant.com/">Alinea</a></div>
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1723 N Halsted</div>
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Chicago, IL</div>
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<i>Note: Reservations are a little hard to get, but join their Twitter or Facebook to keep in the know!</i></div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/10145/restaurant/Lincoln-Park/Alinea-Chicago"><img alt="Alinea on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/10145/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-59559575185335800302014-08-18T09:23:00.001-05:002014-08-18T09:26:31.077-05:00Tacos el Bronco in Sunset Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you ever make it down to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, by all means, eat tacos. There's a plethora of spots to pick from, but a local favorite is Tacos el Bronco. The food truck sits outside of what looks like their storefront, but no one sits in that store. </div>
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Instead, plastic chairs line the sidewalks, people gawk at the TV screen playing through the glass, and joyfully eat their tacos with their families.</div>
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Tacos are $1.50 a pop for most of the proteins (tender beef, chorizo, roasted pork and more) and come with fat stalks of scallion, juicy lime wedges and griddled cucumber and radish slices.</div>
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Burritos are giant and satisfying, full of meat and happiness.</div>
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It's nice to sit in the open air, sharing one thing in common, a love for simple, good food.</div>
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And it is good.</div>
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Especially with the delectable, spicy house green sauce doused over everything. </div>
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I particularly enjoyed the suadero and the chorizo tacos, but honestly, I could probably eat all of them over and over. The horchata is also not to be missed. They pour you a generous cup made from one of those take-out soup containers - it's a little too sweet but also just a little too good. <br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Seriously the tac'o the Sunset Park town. Four tasty tacos, a fat burrito and a refreshing horchata cost only $17 - amazing.</i><br />
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Tacos el Bronco<br />
4324 4th Ave<br />
Brooklyn, NY</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1576560/restaurant/NYC/Sunset-Park/Tacos-El-Bronco-Brooklyn"><img alt="Tacos El Bronco on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1576560/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com2Brooklyn, NY, USA40.6781784 -73.944157940.4854094 -74.266881399999988 40.8709474 -73.6214344tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-60248209450253226682014-08-16T22:12:00.001-05:002014-08-16T22:13:59.556-05:00Hanoi Nights: Bia Hoi, Vietnamese BBQ and Chè<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the final post of my Vietnam series, I just wanted to leave you with a night scene from Vietnam.</div>
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The tourists love to go to "bia hoi" alley, it's located in the middle of all the cheap, cheap hostels at the corners of Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ta Hien and Dinh Liet, and you basically can sit at any of the plastic tables littering the sidewalks, filled with foreigners from all far reaches of the world (though mostly Australia), all drinking out of the same dirty cups filled with the same bia hoi (translated as "fresh beer") which costs just a quarter. Yes. Only 5,000 Vietnamese dong.</div>
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And you can get absolutely blitzed for just a couple of dollars, like everyone gets.</div>
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Around the corner, you can build up your drinking tolerance eating some Vietnamese BBQ. You never really hear much about Vietnamese BBQ in the states (Koreans just have that area covered!), but here, it's a popular night meal for lovers who bond over the grilling of marinated meats and vegetables over gas flame.</div>
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At Xuan Xuan (look for the yellow shirted staff), a variety plate is about $10 for 2 people. There was beef and pork belly and do-it-yourself dipping sauce which consists of limes, salt and pepper and red chili.</div>
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Then you just grill the meat on aluminum foil tented over a hot grill. Add oil for steam and sizzle, dip, eat with veg and stuff it into your mouths. The meat is tender and tasty, and the hot moto-fueled air just adds to the whole ambience.</div>
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Then around the corner from the BBQ place is a chè spot, one of my favoritest desserts in the whole world. Chè basically means pudding, but the word pudding is used loosely - it's essentially a liquidy type of dessert, and there's lots of types.</div>
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At Chè Ngon, they only had a couple left when we arrived after dinner: a taro pudding (top center) and a coconut soup jelly pudding (bottom left). The desserts are served warm, with a cup of crushed ice to add if you prefer it cold.</div>
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The chunks of taro are nice and soft, soaked in the sweet syrup, and the coconut soup dessert was loose, light and lovely.</div>
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What I like a lot about Vietnamese youth is that they are not that interested in drinking alcohol. You'll find them camped outside of coffeeshops and chè places shucking bagfuls of sunflower seeds, tossing the shells on the ground, busy chatting with friends. It's such a refreshing, simple way of hanging out, and I really love it.</div>
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Bia Hoi Alley</div>
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Corner of Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ta Hien and Dinh Liet</div>
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Xuan Xuan</div>
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47 Ma May Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam</div>
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Chè Ngon</div>
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31 Đào Duy Từ, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm Hà Nội, Vietnam</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com2Hanoi, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi, Vietnam21.033333 105.8500000000000220.974045999999998 105.76931900000002 21.09262 105.93068100000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-86289905885726459192014-08-15T09:40:00.000-05:002014-08-15T09:49:20.798-05:00The Birthday Celebration: Sasabune, Flex Mussels, Lady M<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This year, the boy took me to <a href="http://sasabunenyc.com/">Sasabune</a>, a tiny little sushi place in the Upper East side that serves only omakase.<br />
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No menus, just pure trust in the sushi chefs.<br />
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I won't pretend to remember most of the meal, but I thought I would just share what your meal would look like if you're interested in coming here. Our omakase came with three appetizers, four plates of nigiri and a duo of handrolls. If you find yourself full at any time, you can tell them to stop, and they will adjust your tab accordingly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIKozD_ddBWhL_Gcx6EsO-1XYkg_DQ-Vu-hv_0n_iAIwQ4nrB_SuRUPN-5soXX1QIh4miELSvcqfayFY_ccC372wRi6rNnU3oopd1S7LfgzvEn2nJ4AyOqW0S59wTBwxdoJd9PgOI-FM/s1600/2014-06-27+02.08.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIKozD_ddBWhL_Gcx6EsO-1XYkg_DQ-Vu-hv_0n_iAIwQ4nrB_SuRUPN-5soXX1QIh4miELSvcqfayFY_ccC372wRi6rNnU3oopd1S7LfgzvEn2nJ4AyOqW0S59wTBwxdoJd9PgOI-FM/s1600/2014-06-27+02.08.40.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little tuna sashimi plate in soy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfiZ7o98pabgy0Ep3HwT82DbS6vtYqAchXs1V1fA4lio6UhMZ7t53s3w1NOxRgVKQB4DdwAjkKjiCCpDeoiVuc-1d7ZiHxX80O6wMKPZqcxzRKA89qEy8sYQA_DqujNO8YGGgf3pCKg4/s1600/2014-06-27+02.14.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfiZ7o98pabgy0Ep3HwT82DbS6vtYqAchXs1V1fA4lio6UhMZ7t53s3w1NOxRgVKQB4DdwAjkKjiCCpDeoiVuc-1d7ZiHxX80O6wMKPZqcxzRKA89qEy8sYQA_DqujNO8YGGgf3pCKg4/s1600/2014-06-27+02.14.43.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oysrers and crab stuffed octopus (the best!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDlZ_tPKdFDCBjjFAoAVfWkeCTsIpPk0bG6pZA2j5q8lF5vLKeWlI7yuj22Mm9dEh2Ywx8UEDy3qNCZ41IXnaiLSpd0Cvw7KV8Jip55MiC38BKXDGWUHJpEHO_dD4R4YCXa18UsTPn8U/s1600/2014-06-27+02.17.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDlZ_tPKdFDCBjjFAoAVfWkeCTsIpPk0bG6pZA2j5q8lF5vLKeWlI7yuj22Mm9dEh2Ywx8UEDy3qNCZ41IXnaiLSpd0Cvw7KV8Jip55MiC38BKXDGWUHJpEHO_dD4R4YCXa18UsTPn8U/s1600/2014-06-27+02.17.54.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melty chunks of monkfish liver (special of the day, and an add-on to the omakase)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5KkMTXi6jzn3dkpCq6p_O7R45us4fvQPbluBuHt0Wf33PcmrKBQlgsAdKvCn-Ikmg4EF-YopMstckHeB_tIKGHVQEIC2lYLHAmzHonJpts2wPVSNTqP_8wtqv4DDkeajgkeit4VcI8Y/s1600/2014-06-27+02.18.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5KkMTXi6jzn3dkpCq6p_O7R45us4fvQPbluBuHt0Wf33PcmrKBQlgsAdKvCn-Ikmg4EF-YopMstckHeB_tIKGHVQEIC2lYLHAmzHonJpts2wPVSNTqP_8wtqv4DDkeajgkeit4VcI8Y/s1600/2014-06-27+02.18.10.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mackerel</td></tr>
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What is immediately different, after you eat the first bite of nigiri, is how warm the rice is, compared to the room temperature rice served at most sushi places. The result is unexpected, enjoyable and makes the fish more tender.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFACubmHJlOrjMeWyy_3yiumvA76mAAplGqS6eQSx5NkjJO5FrhWt8wP6By__MFxot2Yg9cIozojWaF_TGzCBly3D2_oVgMaUik425pdUYgyzd_QTHIKAuCGJqRcGENTrhRMCC30iZ5M/s1600/2014-06-27+02.25.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFACubmHJlOrjMeWyy_3yiumvA76mAAplGqS6eQSx5NkjJO5FrhWt8wP6By__MFxot2Yg9cIozojWaF_TGzCBly3D2_oVgMaUik425pdUYgyzd_QTHIKAuCGJqRcGENTrhRMCC30iZ5M/s1600/2014-06-27+02.25.27.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna, cod, fluke and mackerel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-4Kyoxvc6gqovxC6Kejqc-3ldxR6PRNcE3gouT-KUKyIlrTf944uC8B4LWTxgLCK8cj2iD2gyV-UkHnO9ATy7xzFFILf1p56qB5U7315UsxEKLER2qnsg_8zkdK8SRZcQiLDQ3QRxRM/s1600/2014-06-27+02.33.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-4Kyoxvc6gqovxC6Kejqc-3ldxR6PRNcE3gouT-KUKyIlrTf944uC8B4LWTxgLCK8cj2iD2gyV-UkHnO9ATy7xzFFILf1p56qB5U7315UsxEKLER2qnsg_8zkdK8SRZcQiLDQ3QRxRM/s1600/2014-06-27+02.33.30.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That eel tho.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCMYe8GNp1-IgDEw7hycV4B7RBWhuYWDeKfv31XwAIlGJbToaEyfi_lbexips2-3ya0aeCnxrxQY08zS8Oazon9sC0KkdSEAWQseZRuY9yM9j61dt2zW63KtEh7ZfBUwvW7Zo8r2RcoQ/s1600/2014-06-27+02.33.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCMYe8GNp1-IgDEw7hycV4B7RBWhuYWDeKfv31XwAIlGJbToaEyfi_lbexips2-3ya0aeCnxrxQY08zS8Oazon9sC0KkdSEAWQseZRuY9yM9j61dt2zW63KtEh7ZfBUwvW7Zo8r2RcoQ/s1600/2014-06-27+02.33.10.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfish.</td></tr>
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Sasabune is also very strict on what is to be eaten with soy and what is not. Often, the non-soy nigiri rice has already been kissed by soy and seasoning and does not need more. It's hard to remember which ones not to do what with, so I just eat the plate as is, and everything tastes just fine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fattest roe this side of the Mississippi River !</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallop and hamachi</td></tr>
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The two handrolls at the end of the meal were blue crab and toro. The crab is my favorite, but the fattiness of toro also always wins me over every single time.<br />
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At this point, you can choose to order more of your favorites, or end the meal. And though the meal was relatively quick (less than an hour), our bellies had become completely pregnant with hot rice and fish, so we called it quits for sushi.<br />
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But we had to press on, for birthday celebration sake. We walked a few blocks over to <a href="http://www.flexmussels.com/">Flex Mussels</a> where the boy had dutifully researched desserts to find made to order donuts with fillings of choice !<br />
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The donuts come 4 or 6 to an order with a variety of filling options, including: fluffernutter, PB&J, salted caramel, s'mores, Meyer lemon, blueberry and more. Yes, more ! Oh the humanity !<br />
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The donuts come standing tall in these cute wooden trays, made just for donuts, of course, and they are so hot, so airy and so bloody brilliant. We inhaled them all.</div>
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Then it was time for a quick stroll through Central Park (you know, to help our stomachs digest the night's feast),</div>
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so that we could make more room for Diana's surprise gift, <a href="http://www.ladym.com/">Lady M'</a>s banana mille feuille. A whole one. All for <i>me </i>- she's simply the best !!</div>
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So we cut ourselves some huge fat slices, sunk into the couch, and let that duhlicious cream melt into our mouths before passing out from food exhaustion.</div>
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What a great birthday!<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>While Sasabune is a pretty good value, <a href="http://handi-eats.blogspot.com/2013/08/dreaming-of-sushi-nakazawa.html">Nakazawa </a>is still supreme when it comes to omakase, and the price points are pretty close to make the latter a better buy. The mussels I've had at Flex are merely okay, but I'd return for those donuts any day, and Lady M. Duh. Delish.</i><br />
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<a href="http://sasabunenyc.com/">Sasabune</a><br />
401 E 73rd St, New York, NY 10021<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/39156/restaurant/Yorkville/Sasabune-NYC"><img alt="Sasabune on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/39156/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flexmussels.com/">Flex Mussels</a><br />
multiple locations<br />
174 E 82nd St, New York, NY 10028<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1346889/restaurant/Upper-East-Side/Flex-Mussels-NYC"><img alt="Flex Mussels on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1346889/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.ladym.com/">Lady M</a><br />
41 E 78th St, New York, NY 10075</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/32346/restaurant/Upper-East-Side/Lady-M-Cake-Boutique-NYC"><img alt="Lady M Cake Boutique on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/32346/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-45360957210675870372014-08-14T22:40:00.000-05:002014-08-15T08:50:13.103-05:00Saigon ! Old Lady Bun Rieu & Fanny Ice Cream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Across the street from Ben Thanh market, wedged in between the shopping stalls and touristy pho and frozen yogurt is the bun rieu lady. She sells bun rieu, soda, coffee and sim cards.</div>
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She shrouds her face in mystery, but when I tried my hand at ordering two bowls of my favorite ever type of soup, I could see her eyes crinkle with amusement. I'm glad my English accented Vietnamese consistently entertains everyone I encounter.</div>
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Her setup is simple, two steel pots simmering hot broth and hot water for noodles. One small table and two stools to sit.</div>
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The rest of her fixings are tucked away in the alley, where she rummages around for the finishing touches.</div>
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And out emerges a beautiful bowl of bun rieu, a golden seafood-laced broth and rice noodles with a variety of seafood-paste toppings. The proteins are a bit of an acquired taste, but the broth is beautiful and clean.</div>
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The two bowls cost us maybe a dollar and a half and warmed our bellies so! The old woman is ultra-cute also.</div>
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At night, we'd cool off with visits to <a href="http://www.fanny.com.vn/">Fanny's</a>, a late-night dessert type place dishing creamy ice creams in inventive ways. I mean, just look at that adorable cyclo ice cream with the orange slice wheels or the banana boat sundae! There are dozens of more cuteness within the elaborate menu.</div>
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We went with the chocolate fondue for two featuring twelve perfect scoops of ice cream (you can pick any flavors from their entire menu), fresh fruits and crisp little wafer cookies.</div>
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The ice cream flavors range from traditional to eclectic: and include avocado, ginger, young rice, cinnamon, straciatella and others. </div>
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The sorbets all sound amazing and taste fresh - flavors include black currant, soursop, passionfruit and mango.</div>
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It was easy to see why you'd name a place so, because the ice cream goes straight to your fanny, and there ain't nothin' you can do about that but enjoy every spoonful.</div>
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<a href="http://www.fanny.com.vn/">Fanny Ice Cream</a></div>
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<i>multiple locations</i></div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-82385078900305391942014-08-12T20:34:00.000-05:002014-08-12T20:34:32.057-05:00Chicago! Breakfast! The Bongo Room! Minghin Cuisine!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As we count down Diana's final single weeks, I don't know what I am more excited about - celebrating her matrimony or getting to relive all the great eats we had in Chicago from our May visit! (It's a pretty close call!)</div>
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Some of my favorite meals in the Windy City was definitely breakfast, and I know I'm heavily biased - I mean look at the number of reviews we have tagged for Breakfast & Brunch alone.</div>
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The <a href="http://thebongoroom.com/">Bongo Room</a> is simply a must-eat destination for any visitor (come on a weekday to avoid all the wait!).</div>
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Though the savories may entice you, the sweets are the true attraction with a handful of decadent pancake options like the white chocolate and caramel pretzel pancake.</div>
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Sinfully rich and decadent and aching to the tooth but despicably delicious.</div>
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A nice complement to that pancake is the Meyer lemon and blackberry pancake which was my favorite - the Meyer lemon cream so light and dreamy, atop a graham cracker dusted pancake. Perfection.</div>
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Ooooze that cream into my mouthhhhh. (Sounds so dirty, but I don't even care if it means I get more Meyer lemon cream !!)</div>
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The best tip from Diana is to order singles of the pancakes - that way, you can try more pancakes <i>AND </i>you get pancakes fully covered in the luscious sauces, which we all know is the very best part anyway.<br />
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To balance the sweet, we ordered one savory dish to share - the croissant sandwich with bacon, egg and dill smothered home fries.<br />
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The croissant was buttery flaky bliss, and eggs perfectly cooked to over medium. The potatoes were too silly with dilly, so would be recommended for any pickle fans.</div>
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And if somehow you find these pancakes too boring and wish for more ethnic breakfasts that will equally delight and amaze you, mosey your way to <a href="http://www.minghincuisine.com/">MingHin </a>in Chinatown. Order basically everything.</div>
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We tried the beef brisket with rice rolls - a little claypot filled with rice roll dumplings in a thin, soy-based sauce with chewy bits of beef on bone.</div>
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The ultimate deliciousness: shrimp dumplings with green chive (soon to be Greeshma's favorite).</div>
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So. Much. Chive!</div>
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BBQ steamed buns - airy bundles that melt on the tongue.</div>
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Turnip cake.</div>
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The best rice rolls I've had yet in the States - thick, chewy noodles filled with tasty roast pork.</div>
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Just look at that gleam !<br />
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You can also get them filled with fried crullers which is a great little combo of chew and crunch.</div>
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Siu mai - chock full of pork and shrimp.<br />
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Baked BBQ pork turnovers.<br />
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MingHin's signature shrimp dumplings - why are these always so easy to eat a dozen?<br />
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Short ribs with honey sauce.<br />
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Shrimp dumplings with pea tips. Just so beautifully made (and tasty to boot!).</div>
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And as much as I hate to say it, the savories were far better than the sweets at Minghin, though they look amazing:<br />
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Sesame balls.<br />
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Baked creamy egg yolk bun.</div>
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Tri-colored egg tarts.</div>
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And you know what else I love about MingHin besides the impeccable rice crepes? They take reservations on the weekend. Can a place get anymore amazing?<br />
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<b>Han's Nonsensical Rating</b>: <i>Chicago, I wish your winters were warmer because Bongo Room + MingHin are reason enough to move to your fair city.</i><br />
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<a href="http://thebongoroom.com/">The Bongo Room</a><br />
(multiple locations)<br />
1152 S Wabash Ave<br />
Chicago, IL<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/10753/restaurant/South-Loop/Bongo-Room-Chicago"><img alt="Bongo Room on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/10753/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.minghincuisine.com/">MingHin</a><br />
2168 S Archer Ave<br />
Chicago, IL</div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/1590270/restaurant/Chinatown/MingHin-Cuisine-Chicago"><img alt="MingHin Cuisine on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1590270/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-26011678185735879942014-08-07T23:48:00.001-05:002014-08-07T23:52:27.905-05:00"Modern" Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The boon of tourism in Vietnam has led to a bevy of modernized restaurants to pop up in the major cities, catered to tourists who enjoy a beautiful ambience with traditional Vietnamese cooking.<br />
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One of the more romantic restaurants you could pick in Ho Chi Minh City would be <a href="http://www.cucgach.com.vn/">Cuc Gach Quan.</a> The restaurant is tucked away in an alley (making it a little hard to find), but you'll know it when you get there. There are two locations mirroring each other from across the alley - try to go to the original, which is just a smidge more intimate and lovely than the other.<br />
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The fresh fruit drinks are beautifully presented here with plenty of exotic flavors like soursop, guava and more. I can never turn down a fresh mango drink though. A small vial of honey and simple syrup is served alongside to sweeten the drink to taste.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the plant stem straws.</td></tr>
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The menu is a literal book - thick with pages of Vietnamese options to pick from, though the house favorites include the following:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canh chua - sweet and sour soup with catfish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeiHCdZ_1ryxngLu9sl52IFz03VBJf3fDjOWmek-NwOusx1E8OcLgWD6XiOQ0OquIM31CxgxpjfmnL-hKRcONTeFZHDyJWCyONHUM4-TY54mdSOnb4trw7XYMFa7cC9mszaKRX2htW0I/s1600/11344996355_07fae2cbf4_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeiHCdZ_1ryxngLu9sl52IFz03VBJf3fDjOWmek-NwOusx1E8OcLgWD6XiOQ0OquIM31CxgxpjfmnL-hKRcONTeFZHDyJWCyONHUM4-TY54mdSOnb4trw7XYMFa7cC9mszaKRX2htW0I/s1600/11344996355_07fae2cbf4_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemongrass tofu - brilliantly tender</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6u6aKKifNcafLhMsXaraSO4tUFC_PGPMKAvldT-BcM0fe5CXaJ6vfbhsekdoM5go1MwSdQLgtjpIBF0lqTDRy4JX_vOPedsxfTZ8TIod_lRe37R80Br4WMgAnliAdyubkwwYzQ-oEyI/s1600/11345008566_1c2b5aa20c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6u6aKKifNcafLhMsXaraSO4tUFC_PGPMKAvldT-BcM0fe5CXaJ6vfbhsekdoM5go1MwSdQLgtjpIBF0lqTDRy4JX_vOPedsxfTZ8TIod_lRe37R80Br4WMgAnliAdyubkwwYzQ-oEyI/s1600/11345008566_1c2b5aa20c_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamarind squid - tender and tangy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesleCMIZl7j5fo6rr5yMfItwOGkXv2UkWiWaccNsd4dbgLd_Zex4ivPMcwo9b0YcFaLPAlySkaC9T7SurtEUlbcEq1NHFXZJ7p56rrb2dCHQQjaJqjBdZRJeOPaJFqRaWPIHCPQO5WuY/s1600/11345020505_15cb67b35f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesleCMIZl7j5fo6rr5yMfItwOGkXv2UkWiWaccNsd4dbgLd_Zex4ivPMcwo9b0YcFaLPAlySkaC9T7SurtEUlbcEq1NHFXZJ7p56rrb2dCHQQjaJqjBdZRJeOPaJFqRaWPIHCPQO5WuY/s1600/11345020505_15cb67b35f_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thit kho - braised pork belly with eggs (a bit dry here, so I'd recommend not ordering this)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q_v0mQagH5WTyOq089cfWZeuGSJByMKPilUS_wRXUbIN5XqTawCdxuU2YSRzeOnAhMYXMCVf0FswAzhEbVF87LptQoKpy8Ovu0kavj8MrbIjhoyKYAe4RjiLxsa6rXtYJWkrSrJKtus/s1600/11345049094_95271994b2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q_v0mQagH5WTyOq089cfWZeuGSJByMKPilUS_wRXUbIN5XqTawCdxuU2YSRzeOnAhMYXMCVf0FswAzhEbVF87LptQoKpy8Ovu0kavj8MrbIjhoyKYAe4RjiLxsa6rXtYJWkrSrJKtus/s1600/11345049094_95271994b2_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash blossoms stir-fried with garlic - fresh and tender</td></tr>
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We ended up ordering a bit too much, but enjoyed most of the dishes and especially the inviting space.<br />
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Another festive spot popular with the tourists is <a href="http://hoatuc.com/">Hoa Tuc</a>, tucked into a cul-de-sac of cute little restaurants.<br />
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What you'll find in Vietnam is that it is easy to make anything look quaint and adorable by just stringing soft lights everywhere. I'll fall for it every time.</div>
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The menu is also far-reaching here, focusing on lots of small plates.</div>
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The banh xeo is petite and adorable.</div>
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The fried baby squid are adorable too.</div>
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Oh and also the banh khot (known to Diana as "shrimp cups"). My mom has always warned that her shrimp cups are different than Vietnam's, where they are made with turmeric powder and hence yellow in color.</div>
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The cups are still crispy and fine, but nothing can ever rival mom's homecooking, right?</div>
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Clams are obligatory for us everywhere because 1) they are always ridiculously cheap (less than $5), and always so much more flavorful and tender than you would get in the States.</div>
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Dessert brought a couple of intriguing options - sesame balls<br />
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with black sesame filling (and that is the sound of Diana squealing with jealousy).</div>
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One of my favorite Vietnamese desserts are the rice dumplings, glutinous rice wrapped around a bean filling in ginger syrup. So chewy and good, I can eat a million.</div>
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We ended up running into our Halong Bay shipmates at this restaurant, just proving that the tourist scene in Saigon is a small one indeed.</div>
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Another afternoon, we found ourselves hitting up a spot ol' Anthony Bourdain put on the foodie map called Com Nieu Saigon (CNSG, as the cool kids like to call it). They just changed locations to a spot down the road that is spacious and amazingly shaded with wide-limbed trees. (Note the soft globe lights that will make this place a real cutie by night.)</div>
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Have I mentioned how you can never get a bad cup of Vietnamese coffee anywhere? It's because that crucial ratio of condensed milk to espresso coffee is like a country-wide mandate.</div>
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The dish that got famous here is the claypot rice. Rice is cooked in a claypot until crisp and crunchy at the bottom.</div>
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Then standing a few paces apart, one server will shatter the claypot, the disk of rice will fly into the open plate in which the other server will gracefully catch into a plate.</div>
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He will then brush off the catch as no big deal and proceed to dress the disc with black sesame, white sesame, and sweetened compote of green onions.</div>
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And what is a meal without some clams, right? We're hooked! We can't help it! Don't make me clam up about it! (Ha!)</div>
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There's no lack of dining options in Vietnam for those who want to rough it on the streets alongside motos and diesel fuel or those who want to eat in lush gardens lit by hanging lights. It's hard to mess up a meal, and it's just fun to try it all.</div>
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<a href="http://www.cucgach.com.vn/">Cuc Gach Quan</a></div>
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10 Đặng Tất, Tân Định, Quận 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam</div>
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<a href="http://hoatuc.com/">Hoa Tuc</a></div>
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74 Hai Ba Trung Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam</div>
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Com Nieu Saigon</div>
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19 Tú Xương, 7, 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam</div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1Ho Chi Minh City, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam10.8230989 106.62966389.8248079 105.33877030000001 11.8213899 107.9205573tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203232825234091205.post-33693564428397246702014-08-07T11:47:00.001-05:002014-08-07T11:50:37.650-05:00Missing the Mekong River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Somehow I got into my pictures from Vietnam last night and realized there was so much more I hadn't posted from my travels. <br />
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One of the most memorable things we did on the trip was a bike ride along the Mekong River. There's a slew of different tours you can take, but the one we tried was <a href="http://www.vietnamcycletours.com/">Le Vietnam Cycle Tours</a>. We did just a day trip, and wondered if maybe we should have stayed another night to pedal through more of this beautifully lush and calm area of Vietnam.<br />
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The trip was about 12km long beginning with a ferry ride to the villages of Durian Island.</div>
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Along the way you see how Mekong is the lifeline for so many people - easing transport of local goods such as these rice husks.</div>
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Before the war, the river was full of crocodiles, and story has it that fishermen painted eyes on the tips of their boats in order to scare the crocodiles away. The tradition still remains today though there are much less crocodiles in the water (contrary to what our tour guide likes to joke).</div>
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On bikes, we pedaled around the dirt paths and narrow roads of the village. Little kids are so excited to see tourists and always wave eagerly, shouting, "Hello! Hello!" It's adorable and heartwarming. The ride is pretty easy, aside from the pure sand trails that make my wheels slip terribly, and of course there were nice little breaks in between to introduce us to Vietnamese food and life.</div>
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A family hosts us in their home for freshly cut durian. The fruit is slightly underripe so not as pungent as it usually is - everyone enjoys it and goes for second pieces. <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/kitchen-insider-facebook-chat-with-andrew-zimmern">Take that, Andrew Zimmern!</a><br />
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The family had the cutest, chubbiest kid with no front teeth.<br />
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Later we stopped at a sugar cane stand. These stands are prevalent throughout Vietnam - stalks of sugar cane are pressed through steel rollers until completely dry and shattered to extract all the sweet juice.</div>
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We had a few cups of sugar cane on our trip up until this point, but this cup was definitely the most refreshing. </div>
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We also got to see how puffed rice is made - rice is added to a screaming hot, oiled wok and stirred vigorously for several minutes.</div>
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The puffed rice is then sorted to separate the husk from the rice.</div>
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Seeing things made from start to finish makes things taste all the more wonderful.</div>
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The best treat of the trip was the lunch held in the garden of a local farmer.</div>
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He is a six-generation longan wine maker - using the delicately fleshed fruit to produce alcohol. He encouraged us to each drink several cups for strength and vigor.</div>
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The meal was simple and honest, and that's all you really need.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ve9wZo3X628xgnC8k5tyZhREfbbsoocL0zjplzNCH-_bLfstN-MtNHPLImI7Pl4A4Oj5uAXFmcDg-ooyVOe3ckT8mkdZi0o5qY7PND2ve6T4k8b24ozQLwi8wuX_p3VqmOiCAcJJBpo/s1600/11343564503_9e7c9f07e0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ve9wZo3X628xgnC8k5tyZhREfbbsoocL0zjplzNCH-_bLfstN-MtNHPLImI7Pl4A4Oj5uAXFmcDg-ooyVOe3ckT8mkdZi0o5qY7PND2ve6T4k8b24ozQLwi8wuX_p3VqmOiCAcJJBpo/s1600/11343564503_9e7c9f07e0_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How meaty shrimp should be, minus my gross thumb.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nGDUK0hNHg7l4B2YzxrrfaikFuZHHS46urz2UvHM-evlOSyjg02c5Nc0d26VnDbv8195gNGkM1RKy1AKBuO8JrVOzZx-6JpRU14uYxQnb1NMX0JCGUCtW4xrBnlnwwkPumciI80Fh8g/s1600/11343565586_4d7cfc2657_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nGDUK0hNHg7l4B2YzxrrfaikFuZHHS46urz2UvHM-evlOSyjg02c5Nc0d26VnDbv8195gNGkM1RKy1AKBuO8JrVOzZx-6JpRU14uYxQnb1NMX0JCGUCtW4xrBnlnwwkPumciI80Fh8g/s1600/11343565586_4d7cfc2657_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy little eggrolls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e66ti7AIY2O8HjExMvMmXa_byy4cngh0slD_o_cM3ACb5yW1E6iFckbCiGAqUT1dYTmWIE5Eeque7txbtMnErrcfzmN3a9yqHHJvDpW2DjjWwCt_R0gsUnlffd9M_Xtof7CUpmQ7Gok/s1600/11343513326_123ae14312_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e66ti7AIY2O8HjExMvMmXa_byy4cngh0slD_o_cM3ACb5yW1E6iFckbCiGAqUT1dYTmWIE5Eeque7txbtMnErrcfzmN3a9yqHHJvDpW2DjjWwCt_R0gsUnlffd9M_Xtof7CUpmQ7Gok/s1600/11343513326_123ae14312_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banh xeo chock full of pork.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEw4iiOlZVFyUc_65M8Vlu5DSKFMH15W6a7HXu586XEZGpR3DfLDzHTLtCoqUUYG3yw12NqMpSUeLiNmJaQYvQhUzeoDBzmazMkMBDWjtD6_7FLYYf0MA57qHjt3jkUisyV4qeA6lS_s/s1600/11363422844_71c6f3a21c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEw4iiOlZVFyUc_65M8Vlu5DSKFMH15W6a7HXu586XEZGpR3DfLDzHTLtCoqUUYG3yw12NqMpSUeLiNmJaQYvQhUzeoDBzmazMkMBDWjtD6_7FLYYf0MA57qHjt3jkUisyV4qeA6lS_s/s1600/11363422844_71c6f3a21c_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant fish, used to make our own spring rolls.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5-SlScMGMJQ0ApJWJwv7LObVbrmkpRa1lC0GJT59zKKc2hyiYyu8exQ1rfwRxqvmTEZhxezeT96U8eUfsrNiVTy8Nj_os7S5BmAP0X55DRDrGrRNGnAEuHI5wtj5CjA9RQYUOVTzh6E/s1600/11363410153_3202963a86_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5-SlScMGMJQ0ApJWJwv7LObVbrmkpRa1lC0GJT59zKKc2hyiYyu8exQ1rfwRxqvmTEZhxezeT96U8eUfsrNiVTy8Nj_os7S5BmAP0X55DRDrGrRNGnAEuHI5wtj5CjA9RQYUOVTzh6E/s1600/11363410153_3202963a86_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALE-sOzUoJPTflJdmzU9gpeJsRpTyHXfeXasY08R9snThtSuR_-ursz4CpiOsb_tZlThN4n16JXdXYqwpCbhw1aZDo9bwAKpXlsdED5eOGwPeiFfFV6rrbxpNCti8WrZaQ16YI5ADbL8/s1600/11363287155_cd9076a2ed_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALE-sOzUoJPTflJdmzU9gpeJsRpTyHXfeXasY08R9snThtSuR_-ursz4CpiOsb_tZlThN4n16JXdXYqwpCbhw1aZDo9bwAKpXlsdED5eOGwPeiFfFV6rrbxpNCti8WrZaQ16YI5ADbL8/s1600/11363287155_cd9076a2ed_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see my spring roll is mainly fish skin. <3 td=""><!--3--></3></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-HofTW1rB6K2TqKQMmtTEQIVGTJPICw9Jf1wkFlr6zCzJHGO4UzaCjD7dKi9U-biK3Kcniw_6G_raGRe8Ict7eJZV_MXy0Blf48b8cMvlQTP0iUuDmRLC7LmSVGPEkcjIEO46qCpDpk/s1600/11363383363_5814161284_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-HofTW1rB6K2TqKQMmtTEQIVGTJPICw9Jf1wkFlr6zCzJHGO4UzaCjD7dKi9U-biK3Kcniw_6G_raGRe8Ict7eJZV_MXy0Blf48b8cMvlQTP0iUuDmRLC7LmSVGPEkcjIEO46qCpDpk/s1600/11363383363_5814161284_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light vegetable soup.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhODFWdB05yYmr9e4OWUjeZl4QAQiWMnJwax6c2JqDKzDOBv3-G4HeTaRRhA4qN9M4JTEkuM0BoV_zwSURoGRZ7odZdY0GPrXkD0Kznv7yF10dCJedlzJV0JHt2mJYCGDuAuY8RwX2dY/s1600/11363306204_6722a278a9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhODFWdB05yYmr9e4OWUjeZl4QAQiWMnJwax6c2JqDKzDOBv3-G4HeTaRRhA4qN9M4JTEkuM0BoV_zwSURoGRZ7odZdY0GPrXkD0Kznv7yF10dCJedlzJV0JHt2mJYCGDuAuY8RwX2dY/s1600/11363306204_6722a278a9_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claypot chicken.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR59kFfHtNWzi7TQlMYKmKdkykzeObkaY1dLqKt78Vf95qj5x-oMvvcC_D8339WLXsWDgIlj8Dyban_iOpgG2CXsCyAJB30Lue-HOcgolUCyzgiFy2_ie_7Lh9DfbtX7ei6um2NDz4SdA/s1600/11363274814_141ef755ea_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR59kFfHtNWzi7TQlMYKmKdkykzeObkaY1dLqKt78Vf95qj5x-oMvvcC_D8339WLXsWDgIlj8Dyban_iOpgG2CXsCyAJB30Lue-HOcgolUCyzgiFy2_ie_7Lh9DfbtX7ei6um2NDz4SdA/s1600/11363274814_141ef755ea_z.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert of fresh fruit - easily the best rambutan I've ever had.</td></tr>
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After lunch, we took the ferry back to the van. Heavy rains poured upon the river, blowing cold mist upon our faces and the boats around us. We figured it was a sign that maybe we had made the right decision to do only a half-day trip, but it seemed bittersweet all the same to leave behind the stark beauty of the Mekong.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuF43tzEsRzpWOVh8FYF3_uki8Rkt_fjBYvnjj65P2bm7Ivi-0fVhQZg5-KPwmc_GMj7s6zjWPSjskbT3FSJpOCMD5m0iJwqeSYrI5J4WAx8zkCfVDdBTPYDxYP6rcgO8W0IKR5m3XRg/s1600/11363033406_435fcf5ee4_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuF43tzEsRzpWOVh8FYF3_uki8Rkt_fjBYvnjj65P2bm7Ivi-0fVhQZg5-KPwmc_GMj7s6zjWPSjskbT3FSJpOCMD5m0iJwqeSYrI5J4WAx8zkCfVDdBTPYDxYP6rcgO8W0IKR5m3XRg/s1600/11363033406_435fcf5ee4_c.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11214605573893285970noreply@blogger.com1Ho Chi Minh City, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam10.8230989 106.62966389.8248079 105.33877030000001 11.8213899 107.9205573