Saturday, August 30, 2008

Jeremy's First Gochi

I really enjoy going to Gochi, as does my roommate Angela, but my fiance Jeremy has never gone and has wanted to go since everyone talks about it. Four of us finally went: my Mom, my maid of honor Jessica, Jeremy, and I. He met up with us after a busy day of dress shopping for me-fairly successful I believe. I didn't actually get the dress yet, but basically narrowed it down to two, leaning towards one, and trying to be okay with the price.

Anyway, back to dinner at Gochi. We got a few things that I have gotten before like the daikon salad which is good (not fabulous) and HUGE. I had forgotten how big that thing was! We also got the fried chicken and eggplant with a ponzu type dish that I love. We also got a kimchi pork clay pot where the girls all wanted the nice crispy rice parts- it's the best part! We also got a few new items: "kabocha mochi" which is mashed japanese pumpkin with cheese inside and I believe grilled with a soy saucy flavor on the outside to really make it have the texture of mochi. It is then wrapped in seaweed just like you would eat a plain mochi! I really enjoyed it so I hope it is there next time I go. We also got grilled squid which was new and just okay, not huge flavor, nothing special. I can't remember if we got anything else, but we sure did get dessert.

My mom saw a dessert come out at a different table and wanted it. It ended up being delicious green tea tiramisu with red bean on top. It is definitely not like the usual tiramisu, but I'd say it was very tasty! The other dessert we shared was black sesame ice cream which I had before and enjoyed. I didn't know how Jeremy would like either of them but he liked both, especially the tiramisu! No wonder I love the guy! He likes what I eat, and everybody KNOWS how important food is to me!! :) Yay Gochi!

Sushi Sam's

I went to Sushi Sam's with my Mom and her friend when she was visiting me so we could go dress shopping. A good friend of hers had recommended this sushi restaurant in San Mateo, so we made reservations and went.

To be frank, the food was good but I wasn't blown away. The "chef's special" only included sushi unlike what we're used to with other culinary dishes besides sushi incorporated in for the whole meal experience. The sushi chef ordered some appetizer dishes for us, and they were all delicious. I will say though that the star was the sushi. The fish was fresh, well presented, and we ate some unique/rare items. My only complaint is that most of them had ponzu sauce on it which kept it the same flavor as well as hiding the natural flavor of the fresh fish a little. There was also a scallop with salt and lemon but it had toughened up a bit with the lemon on it for too long.

The other thing that hung me up about the place was the service. The sushi chef conversed with us, especially when it came to golf, but he would shout out orders often. We also were not told when our sushi specials were done and were waiting there for a while before we asked if that was it. We thought they were going to ask if we wanted any additional sushi or ask us about dessert, but we had to initiate both conversations. We had heard good things about their handmade desserts, so we tried 2 different kinds and my mom's friend was correct to say the desserts are delicious! The sushi chef's niece who is a waitress there makes the desserts that change from time to time. I got the kinako panna cotta with red bean sorbet, mochi balls, and fruit. Not too sweet, beautifully presented, and enough to share around.

I enjoyed the meal, but I left not completely satisfied for the price we paid. But again, maybe I'm too spoiled from Sushi Ota in San Diego that I absolutely adore :)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Dacia-cakes

I have to give a shout out to my coworker and cube neighbor Dacia.  She makes the best cupcakes in the world and she made me engagement cupcakes today :)  She played around with fondant and kneaded like no other to make a beautiful and DELICIOUS white cupcake with milk and white chocolate chips as well as a hint of raspberry! It was so moist and yummy I can't even explain.  I am not a big frosting person so I opted for the naked cupcake.  A good cupcake really doesn't need any frosting!
Dacia, you're amazing and if you open up your own shop I will be a frequent customer!  I brought one home for Jeremy too and he devoured it very quickly~ I've already hinted that if we don't get a wedding package and she's up for doing a lot of cupcakes (since whole cakes overwhelm her), there may be some talking... :) They are THAT good!!
It makes me want to specialize and perfect something I make so that I can be a specialty person that can own her own place some day too!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Santa Ramen

After a disappointing first wedding venue viewing, Jeremy & I decided to dinner in San Mateo since we had driven all the way to Burlingame. We decided on Santa Ramen, and we discovered that it had moved to a larger location! The good thing is that they can let more people in, even though there is still a continual line out the door meaning you can't linger with your food. I ALSO found out, that they no longer have the stewed pork ramen option. You have to choose either shoyu, tonkotsu, or miso ramen for $7.95, and add 2 pieces of stewed pork for $4.95!

They get a better place to serve more people and hike up the prices... I was not so happy... the stewed pork was good and I will say that they are clearly larger than what was included before, but it wasn't worth $5 for Jeremy or I. I will say that as usual the broth impressed me, and I was drinking it up. I kept doing tastings between my tonkotsu and Jeremy's shoyu... can't pick a favorite because they are both quite tasty and it just depends on the mood! Jeremy had to remind me to take pictures before diving in to my food haha what a great fiance (accent on the e) I have!