Jun
12
Tempura is actually one of the simplest Japanese items to make. The batter is just flour and water and virtually anything can be battered and deep fried. You can then eat your tempura with a dipping sauce and rice or put it on a bowl of soba. I chose the latter. The soup is a simple combination of shoyu, water, dashi, and sake. This is a great dish on a cold day.
Apr
17
Colorado Grill (Yelp) on E. Herndon Ave near Costco is a burger joint that moved in where Fatburger used to be. This place was packed during lunch and has pretty large burgers. I have to admit the flavor reminded me of Fatburger a bit, which is not a bad thing. The Boulder burger I got is a 1/2 pounder but they let you get a double, triple, and a quad which would be great if you haven’t eaten in a week.
Boulder and Fries
Apr
11
Last month, jumbo prawns were on sale at Safeway so we got some even though I didn’t have a specific recipe in mind. I decided to consult the trusty Joy of Cooking and found a delicious-sounding recipe title “Baked Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp”. The main ingredients were butterflied prawns, white wine, butter, and breadcrumbs and smelled like heaven as they came out of the oven. Although these are probably better as an appetizer, I ate a whole plate or two of them with a glass of white wine and it was just fantastic.
Apr
08
I loved Don Pepe’s so much I had to go back 2 more times. Here are some new pictures of other items they offer. Although I am not a huge fan of the beans in a taco, the al pastor taco was really good which makes me realize that their carne asada is just okay. The shrimp is definitely the best meat they have with al pastor being a close second. I finally tried the spicy shrimp taco which tastes just as awesome as the shrimp taco but spicier. After checking out Mariscos Guero in Long Beach and realizing how awesome the Mexican shrimp cocktail is, I had to try it at Don Pepe’s. Their version has giant pieces of shrimp and avocado and was also fantastic. I also got a picture of their shrimp-and-lime-stuffed-bottles of beer.
Apr
08
My family and I were looking for a good Thai place in Fresno and the highest rated place was Gem of Thailand (Yelp), so we decided to check it out. The restaurant is a small place tucked behind Costco close to Herdon.
We started with the Tom Yum Shrimp soup and it was different from other Tom Yum soups I have had. The soup was not only sour and spicy but also sweet. The flavors balanced wonderfully and we licked our bowls clean. We also got a delicious beef dish, papaya salad, and pad thai. My mom who is usually picky about pad thai admitted that this was one of the best pad thais she has had. Overall, the food was very good and next time I feel like having Thai food in Fresno there is no doubt I will return to Gem of Thailand.
Mar
30
Corned beef tacos are always good. There’s something about having the beef, cabbage, onion, potato, and crispy tortillas all in one bite. I think this is one of my favorite “leftovers” food.
Mar
29
My mom showed me how to make some Mapo Doufu without using one of those instant spice packets and it’s actually really easy. The ingredients you need are mostly things you should already have: tofu, mushrooms, beef, green onions, ginger, shoyu, and corn starch. The last ingredient is doubanjiang, a spicy bean sauce that is commonly found in Asian markets made by both Japanese and Chinese makers. Japanese speakers might know it as toubanjan / トウバンジャン. We made the dish to taste and it came out wonderfully.
Mapo Doufu
Mar
29
Here’s a picture of me in front of the Club 33 entrance at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. This is probably the closest I will ever get to the club. This door is located next to the exit for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Club 33
Mar
27
April and I were passing through Gilroy and I just had to check out the Garlic Shoppe Outlet (Yelp) and try some garlic ice cream. The Garlic Shoppe Outlet seemed to be the best garlic shop in Gilroy based on what I read on Yelp. It was a small shop in an outdoor mall and they had tons of garlic products. I got some Pepper Plant hot sauce that people on Yelp raved about which is delicious. They also have a small freezer with personal-sized cups of garlic ice cream. They had vanilla garlic and chocolate garlic; we went with the vanilla garlic. They also had pint-sized containers but I’m not sure what flavor they were (I believe it was something completely different like pecan). I was expecting the garlic flavor in the ice cream to be subtle, but it was actually pretty strong. However, the strong garlic flavor went well with the vanilla and sweetness and actually tasted really good. Next time I’ll be sure to have an ice box to take some of this home.
Garlic Vanilla Ice Cream
Mar
15
Back in Los Angeles a few years ago, Zeke and I went to Oki Dog (Yelp) on Fairfax Ave. Although they had a C health inspection rating and it smelled like gasoline from the power tools of workers fixing a door, we had to try the legendary Oki Dog. The Oki Dog is basically a burrito with two hot dogs, chili, and pastrami. The dog was more of a novelty than something I would want to eat more than a few times but here are the pictures of the insides. I do not know of the origins of the Oki Dog, but it looks like at least 3 places serve it: Oki Dog on Fairfax, Oki’s Dog (Yelp) on Pico Blvd. and The Slaw Dogs (Yelp) in Pasadena.
