Ozumo's Profile
Looking to buy eggnog somewhere...
Saw a bunch at Lunardi's in Walnut Creek yesterday.
REALLY spicy food in the Bay Area?
Please let us know how it goes! I'll be interested to see if he's succesful at the challenge!
REALLY spicy food in the Bay Area?
Here is your solution: Smoke Eaters in Santa Clara. I haven't been myself, but I saw it featured on Man vs Food. I usually can never get food spicy enough for my tastes, but their 911 challenge looks pretty damn scary. The wings are coated in like a quarter pound of dried habanero and a ton of other stuff, and to win the challenge, you have to eat them with no water and no napkins (so your finger burn, too!), and then you have to wait 5 minutes after eating them all before you can get anything to drink/wipe with. I would think that is the spiciest thing you could get in the whole Bay Area.
KFC'S GRILLED CHICKEN--HOW IS IT?
I was thinking of trying it until I read the ingredients:
KFC® Grilled Chicken Fresh Chicken Marinated with: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate Seasoned with: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and Not More Than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added as Anticaking Agents. Contains Wheat and Soy.
No thank you. And why is there beef in the chicken?
My Lunch Visit at The French Laundry! [pics-LONG]
Awesome, thanks. I definitely want to try those two dishes when I finally go, so that is good to know!
My Lunch Visit at The French Laundry! [pics-LONG]
Thank you for the great report. I'm still dying to go there. When you get the extra courses (oyster and pearls/coffee and donuts), do they charge extra? And if so, how much?
Last minute Valentine's Day dinner in Napa?
Yes, I decided on Estate in Sonoma. Pre fixe meal is only $50 for 5 courses and sounds pretty good.
First time in Sonoma on Sat: Any wineries with tastings $20 or less?
My gf and I will be having dinner at Estate, and are trying to figure out where would be best to go during the day. We've been to Napa a bunch of times, but this is our first time in Sonoma wine country. I would really appreciate help finding the better deals as far as wineries to hit on a day trip, as I really have no idea where to go. Thanks!
Where to buy Rennet / Citric Acid Powder?
I bought some citric acid recently from Vik's in Berkeley, but I don't think they have rennet.
Last minute Valentine's Day dinner in Napa?
My gf and I have V-day weekend off (her mom babysitting!), and we were thinking it would be great to spend the day in Napa county, but I can't think of where would be good to go on V-day (I know it's one of the worst nights to dine out). I checked Ad Hoc, but they were booked, does anyone know of a place that would still have open reservations, and ideally have their normal menu?
We're open to pretty much any cuisine, would like to keep it to around $100 per person and would like decent enough atmosphere for the occaision (somehwere like Ad Hoc would even be "romantic" enough). We really would like to have a full sit-down dinner, we definitely don't want to put together a picnic from Oxbow or anything like that.
I appreciate the help!
Bay Area Banh Mi Google Map
I was going to add Saigon Bistro myself, I love that place. $3.75 is totally worth it for their quality banh mi, especially since the gas required to try to go somewhere that might be better woiuld cost more than the sandwich if you live in the Concord/WC area.
Sichuan Peppercorns at 99 Ranch
This was news to me (not eating the shell), so I looked up sichuan peppercorns on Wikipedia and it says this:
"Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black or white pepper, or chili peppers, but has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) that sets the stage for these hot spices. Recipes often suggest lightly toasting and then crushing the tiny seedpods before adding them to food. Only the husks are used; the shiny black seeds are discarded or ignored as they have a very gritty sand-like texture. It is generally added at the last moment."
Also I found a link to a spice seller on-line that hand removes the seeds and stems for the same reasons, so I think what you are doing is throwing out the good part and eating the bad part. I always just grind them into my dishes whole, seeds stems and all, out of laziness, but maybe on my next bag I'll sort them.
Would you go to Starbucks just for the Clover?
Cosign. As soon as I find one in Contra Costa County, I'm there to check it out.
Ephesus is no more....
Wow, that sucks, I really liked that place. I had only been there like 3 times, but it is a place I would have definitely gone back to again. Hope the cocktail lounge is nice.
Taking girlfriend to Capitola for her B-Day, where to eat dinner?
We'll be spending all day at the beach and village, and we've previously been to Shadowbrook, are there any other good places to eat in Capitola for a birthday occasion? Or should we just go back to Shadowbrook? Please help, thanks!
Capay Valley Farm Shop (Nut Tree), Vacaville Closed!
Did they bring back the gingerbread men yet? I don't know if you ever went to the old Nut Tree, but when I was a kid I LOVED their gingerbread men (and other shapes). If they're back, that would warrant a trip back by itself.
Help me Wow my Stepdad at the Ferry Building FM
I have to buy a couple fegatelli (it's like a dried pork sausage that you can eat like a Slim Jim - but waaaaaay better) from Fatted Calf (outside) every time I go. They are unbelievably good. I haven't tried their other stuff, but everyone raves about just about everything else they make, too.
There's also a guy out back who makes amazing goat cheeses himself, but the name escapes me. And at Rancho Gordo, check out their red popcorn that pops the whitest white you'll ever see in popcorn.
I want my coffee : no starbucks , no peets
Oh, I meant for espresso drinks; I like their espresso shots and lattes. I don't own a burr grinder, so I never buy really good beans to make at home, I just use stuff from TJ. I like to go to caffes for the best stuff where it will be fresher.
And I agree, BB is much better, but there's no BB out here. :-( PB is just the best thing we have out in Walnut Creek area. Oh well, BB is always a good excuse to hop on BART and hit the FP farmer's market...
I want my coffee : no starbucks , no peets
I will third Pacific Bay. I just discovered it. Next best thing to Blue Bottle IMO. They roast their beans in-store (you can see the machine they roast in towards the front of the store. And they do foam art on top of the espresso drinks, which I always enjoy.
Best NonAmericanized Chinese in East Bay?
Or if you're in the far-east bay, Sichuan Fortune House in Pleasant Hill has the former chef of China Village and is excellent (I haven't been to China Village myslef, though, so I can't say which is better). From what I've heard from people who have been to both, the menu is pretty much identical.
MOJOTV - What do you think of their food shows?
After Hours and Three Sheets >>>> anything on FN not involving Alton Brown
Also, America's Test Kitchen and Best Recipes in the World are awesome in HD on PBS.
Help please: BART-able SF "Valentine's Day" dinner for Sat 2/16?
My girlfriend and I are celebrating V-Day over the weekend instead of on Thu, partly for convenience and partly to avoid the insanity and special menus on the actual day. We're going to see KRS-ONE at Shattuck Down-Low on Fri (only $15 advance/$20 at the door!), and then we want to spend the day and evening in SF on Sat. I read this board all the time, but there are just sooo many good options in SF, I'm overwhelmed trying to pick one place. There are a million restaurants I know I want to try, but I have a feeling I'm forgetting a lot of them!
I'd appreciate any tips on restaurants likely to be serving their regular menu on that weekend. We like any type of cuisine, but for this occaision we would probably prefer something European/American/Mediteranean, or maybe Japanese (although not a straight-up sushi bar). We're looking for something with a nice and romantic vibe, at least somewhat upscale. Needs to be BART-able since I live across the street from an East Bay BART station and that way we can drink and get home safely.
Thanks for any help!
Indian Food Made Easy on AZN
Don't get too attached to it - Comcast is shutting down AZN in the next few months. :-(
Charbroiled Burgers in Concord?
I absolutely love the burgers at EJ Phair in Concord. I never thought to check if they are charbroiled or griddled, but by their taste I think they're charbroiled/grilled. They have very creative toppings, I particularly like the Diablo, Luigi and Ewart. Burgers are really juicy and come with either skinny french fries or outstanding, very peppery coleslaw. I usually am not real big on either of those options, but here I love them both and have a hard time deciding. If you get french fries, ask for a side of the chipotle mayo to dip them in, chipotle mayo>>>>>>>>>>>ketchup.
Also, EJ Phair is actually a brew pub, and they make excellent beer right here in Concord, plus they serve a rotating selection of guest brews from other great microbreweries. Their Marzen is probably the most popular, but pretty much all of their beers are great.
Napa’s newest wine bar - Whole Foods … Sipping 1988 Chateau d’Yquem sauterne and dropping names like Quetzal, Riverdog, Bouchon and Model Bakery
Elephant Pharmacy in Walnut Creek has valet parking, which surprised me. They have their own parking lot, but they share it with Trader Joe's, and that TJ's is always a madhouse, so their customers must not have been leaving any room for EP customers (which seem few and far between) to park.
Bombay Indian Restaurant WC
Woo-hoo! :-) What were the highlights of your meal? I've never been for dinner, so I don't know what they offer.
Bombay Indian Restaurant WC
Hmm, it's been more than a week since I was last there, I hope the new owners are keeping the well-priced lunch buffet...
Bombay Indian Restaurant WC
New? I think it's been around a couple of years. I never went to the old place you mentioned, but I've been to Bombay twice for the lunch buffet (which is also served on weekends!), and both times thoroughly enjoyed it. It's only $8, and includes deserts, chai tea, tandoori chicken, as well as a whole bunch of curries, rice, naan chutneys, etc. One of the better Indian buffets I've been to. Very friendly service, too.
Need To Serve 125 For Christmas Dinner? Turducken Is Passé
Here's another great idea: to take the "classic" Turducken to the next level, stuff it into an ostrich.
