FoodieKat's Profile
Funky restos in Victoria?
Wow, that is a lot to chew on, literally. ;-) Thanks for those recs from me as well.
Foodie tour of Victoria, related question
I can relate. I've now got more restaurant recs than sights. :-)
Funky restos in Victoria?
Anyone out there know of some good places? I'll be in Victoria from 26-28 June, and could use the recs too, especially in central Victoria and/or accesible by public transit/transport, as I won't be driving. Thanks!
Foodie tour of Vancouver Island?
Thanks fmed! Any idea how one could get there without a car? Do they have organised tours?
Solo (somewhat) Intrepid Traveller in Seattle
Ooh man, that's definitely on my list of things to try. Maybe even more than once. :-)
Real Chicago Pizza/Hot Dogs, where?
What about Ricobene's? Ooooh those cheddar fries! They're starting a frozen foods service also. Soon you can order products from their website and have them shipped over here to California.
http://www.ricobenesfamoussteaks.com/
On my recent visit back to Chi-town I bought a part-baked frozen pizza from Giordano's. It was still frozen by the time I got back home to OC! And sooo good. I wanna go back now. :-(
Foodie tour of Vancouver Island?
I read that meads are also produced in Victoria. Anyone know of a good meadery in Victoria?
Solo (somewhat) Intrepid Traveller in Seattle
Hi dagrassroots. Pike Place Market will be one of my first ports of call when I arrive. I look forward to trying some more Sichuan food too. I have had a craving for Sichuan prawns ever since I left England (surprisingly easy to find decent Sichuan cuisine in England, even in small hole in the wall places) and I have struggled to find this dish out here in OC. There is definitely a lack of Malaysian food out here too. That was another thing easily found in London and pretty good too IMO, so a good Malay curry is definitely in order. And you said the magic word- Chowder. Mmm. One of my favorite comfort foods. I am getting really hungry now! :-)
Solo (somewhat) Intrepid Traveller in Seattle
Hi dagrassroots. Funny you should mention Sichuan cuisine. I have had a craving for Sichuan shrimp for months, and haven't been able to find it here in OC. And I agree, there is definitely a lack of good Malaysian restaurants out here too, so I am looking forward to trying Malay Satay Hut. Pike Place Market is going to be one of my first stops. And the magic word- Chowder. I looove a good chowder! I am getting really hungry now.
Solo (somewhat) Intrepid Traveller in Seattle
Wow, these are all fantastic suggestions. I can't wait! :-) Thanks everyone!
Solo (somewhat) Intrepid Traveller in Seattle
Hi everyone. I am planning a trip to Seattle for four days (so that's at least 12 good meals waiting to be had :-)). So the first thing on my mind is - where to eat? I love all kinds of ethnic cuisines, and love trying new things. So what are your favorite restaurants, holes in the wall and cafes? My only criteria, besides cost (prefer mid-priced to cheap) is that the menu offers some veggie and/or fish dishes. Oh, and I have a real sweet tooth, so recs for good cafe/bakeries are most welcome too. TIA!
It's official: I'm a peasant.
I prefer rustic, well-made food made with good quality, fresh ingredients over fancy food. To me, good food should never sacrifice flavor for the sake of presentation.
Your worst service experience?
A pizza delivery person giving me the wrong order, then trying to charge me for the pizza because I'd eaten a slice (only at this point did I realize it was the wrong pizza!) and THEN yelling at me because I refused to pay extra for the erroneous pizza (I'd already paid in advance for the order he'd screwed up). I called the restaurant and complained about their exceptionally rude and inept driver, and never ordered from there again. Manager didn't even say a word, no apology, nothing.
How do you eat so well and control your weight?
Exercise is the main thing that helps to keep my weight somewhat stable. When I am struggling with my thyroid issues it's often arbitrary what works and what doesn't work for keeping weight at bay. But regular exercise, especially cardio, drinking lots of water, filling up on veggies over fats and starches and knowing 'when to say when' and stop eating when I am full usually works for me. I also try and reserve a special treat once a week, and don't usually eat out more than once a week also.
Latest addiction
Good topic! My current food addictions are, in no particular order:
Cupcakes (trying to find the best ones in my area is an ongoing quest)
Vietnamese bun cha (rice vermicelli)
Fish tacos
Salted pumpkin seeds
Fish balls and fish sausages
Sizzling rice soups and various types of congee
Perpetual food addictions:
Wasabi
Peanut Butter
Chocolate
Noodles, of all shapes and sizes, but especially long and wide flat noodles
Salty snacks (if cheesy even better)
Fresh bread
Stuffed pizza (luckily I can only get this on very rare occasions)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Olives
Cheese (don't indulge in this one very often)
Ice cream, especially Ben and Jerry's (but I usually eat fro-yo instead)
Cupcake Bakeries in Orange County
French's Cupcake Bakery in Costa Mesa has very good, very reasonably (between $1 and $2) cupcakes.
French's Cupcake Bakery is at 273 E. 17th Street, Costa Mesa 92627
SusieCakes in Newport Beach is also very good. I especially liked the red velvet, chocolate and peanut butter flavors, but the coconut and strawberry flavors were big hits with Mr Foodiekat too.
Delicious Delicious -fish dumplings
Fish dumplings sound great. Where is this place, please?
Garlic Paste
I have tried garlic paste before, and I can honestly say that no, it is not a good substitute. The aftertaste is too strange, especially if you're using if for something like garlic bread, where there aren't many other flavors competing with the garlic taste. Minced garlic often has the same problem, IMO. Whole, pre-peeled garlic that has either been crushed or blitzed in the food processor seems to work better, while still saving a bit of effort.
Garlic Paste
I agree. Buying whole garlic cloves that have already been peeled is about as far as I'll go.
Foods you love at Trader Joe's that got discontinued? [OLD]
I miss the stewed packed tomatoes (passata). This made the best pasta sauces. I am also annoyed that they never carried lobster bisque in my local TJ's. My friend in Chicago kept telling me how good it is and I can't get it over here in my area.
Food Obsession and Significant Other
My husband does enjoy trying new things, likes good food, and doesn't mind going out of our way for a good restaurant, but he's not nearly as food obsessed as I am (he usually doesn't even eat lunch, can you believe? What else is a day for but an opportunity for at least three good meals or else lots of tasty snacks? :-)). He certainly wouldn't plan a vacation around food like I do. But he does humour me when I say, "let's do a road trip this weekend so we can try out all these great new places to eat." And he loves to cook, but definitely enjoys cooking more than eating. And he's my sushi buddy; we both love fresh sushi.
More Foodie Movies?
'The Linguini Incident'
The Taste of Tea (the family dinner is one of the focal points of this whimsical Japanese film)
Chocolat
Pulp Fiction (the 5 dollar milkshake scene, the lengthy discussion about bacon over a diner breakfast, the gourmet coffee and extoling the virtues of a big kahuna burger)
Sideways
French Kiss (food, wine and a hilarious lactose intolerance scene)
Willy Wonka
Tortilla Soup
Woman on Top
Joy Luck Club
Films that make you want to eat!
Btw, David Bowie was also in another ill-fated movie with a foodie title, called 'The Linguini Incident'. Yum (not necessarily talking about the food for once. Lol).
The best chocolate covered pretzels in the US?
I love the chocolate covered pretzels from TJ's too. They are dangerously addictive.
Explorations on Brookhurst: Vien Dong
I tried Vien Dong for the first time on Saturday. Boy, was it good! I tried the jackfruit salad, and the seafood rice congee. The jackfruit had a lovely texture, and fish sauce that came with it was delicious, especially when you layer the salad on top of the rice crackers, using it as a base to soak up the sauce. The congee had a plethora of flavors too, every spoonful had a different layer of taste, each one more comforting than the next. Loved the iced coffee too. I am going back there this weekend to try the turmeric fish. Thanks to Das Ubergeek and elmomonster for the heads up on this place!
Where do you shop?
I buy the majority of my produce and bulk loose items at Sprouts Farmers Market. I also buy produce at 99 Ranch in Irvine, and things like rice, noodles, tofu, seaweed, sauces, all kinds of things. I sometimes go to Marukai market in Costa Mesa for these things instead, and always go there for fresh fish for sashimi and sushi, and for a good selection of plum wine and sake. I buy frozen foods and cupboard items I use regularly at Costco, and Albertsons or Pavillions are my local shops for dairy products and some cupboard items I can't get easily elsewhere. Very rarely I shop at Whole Foods in Tustin (I laugh at their pricing though) but I prefer Trader Joe's. So most of my shopping is done at Sprouts, Costco, and 99 Ranch/Marukai. Bakery items are from J Sweet, El Gallo Giro, French's Cupcake Bakery and Susiecakes. BevMo or Hi-Time Wine Cellars for wine and spirits.
Black Sheep Bistro, Tustin, CA.
Good call on Tropika and China Palace. Just got takeout from both restaurants over the weekend, and I have to say, once again I heart Tustin!
Los Cotijas: Not Just For Fish Tacos
Oh boy, I wish I'd waited now. :-( That's what I get for being too impatient. Ah well, guess there's always next year. I did stop by a little farm store today, right near the intersection of Walnut and Jeffrey in Irvine, and bought three baskets of ripe, delicious strawberries though (polished off half of them already they're so good). Guess homemade strawberry shortcake will do for now.
Los Cotijas: Not Just For Fish Tacos
Hey Das, I love their seafood burritos too- they are massive and really tasty. Even their rice and beans are good, which is saying a lot because I find in a lot of Mexican restaurants the rice and beans are somewhat flavorless 'side dishes' not really worthy of mention in their own right. But that's what I love about Las Cotijas, it is always a pleasant surprise noticing the little attention to details. And their horchata is really good too, another thing that often gets overlooked, especially at most smaller, 'hole in the wall' Mexican places.
Btw, I was at the Strawberry Festival yesterday too. Did you try the strawberry shortcake by any chance? There was one stand serving stawberry shortcake but people were almost lined up around the block but I couldn't be bothered to wait that long. I tried it at another place that was selling ice cream. It was good, well at least the strawberries were good but the dessert cupes kind of disintegrated in the natural juice. But yum, it was a tasty mess!
