March adventures thus far

I need to get better at updating on a regular basis... with that said here are my March food adventures so far :)

1) Pho Linh- it is a new pho place in Cupertino that I went to for lunch with a few of my co-workers. I must say that it was quite delicious and hit the spot on a cold, drizzly day. I ordered the rare steak and brisket pho, while a few friends ordered a chicken pho. I've never tried chicken pho, but apparently they're fans. My only complaint is that they only gave us one dish of vegetables to put in our pho, when there were 4 people! Sure they provided us more when we asked, but one dish sure isn't enough... especially when you have someone like me that loves bean sprouts, basil, and lime!

2) Shan- I went out for lunch again with some co-workers to an Indian restaurant called Shan. From the people that had eaten there before, they recommended the Chicken Tikka Masala, so I gave it a shot. It was definitely different from the other creamier tikka masalas that I've had and liked, but this was good also. The chicken was a bit on the drier side, which semed obvious from everyone leaving some chicken even though the sauce was soaked up. Their naan was delicious- slightly crispy on the outside, but oh so soft on the inside, and delightfully warm. Some people ordered the garlic naan or curry potato stuffed naan, but I liked the plain naan- simple and traditional! It wasn't my favorite tikka ever and my fingers definitely smelled for a long time, but I would go back and try other things again!

3) Blue Rock BBQ catered to work- we had BBQ to celebrate a co-worker's gain of American citizenship with what else but American BBQ? I personally ordered the ribs with hush puppies and baked beans. The ribs fell off the bone and were tasty- drenched in sauce but good and not too fatty. The baked beans were thick and a little sweet, but delicious otherwise and very flavorful. The hush puppies (my first experience) were a bit of a downer because they were a bit too dense and not too flavorful. Maybe those needed to have some sauce on it also! Everyone else agreed also though so it wasn't just me. I also sampled other items- the pulled pork was a bit dry but again drenched in yummy sauce made it good, chicken was moist and tender (made for good BBQ chicken rolls. As for the sides, mac and cheese was like a lasagna with cheese sauce, cole slaw was a bit bland- they were nothing special... the baked beans and ribs were the winners!

4) Jeffrey's burgers- We went with friends to Jeffrey's in Menlo Park. I didn't have high expectations going into it, but I must admit it was quite tasty. I got the plain hamburger, but with the addition of lettuce, tomatoes, and a tad of ketchup from the very fresh looking condiment bar, it was perfect. Even more delightful was the combination of the burger with their delicious french fries and chocolate/vanilla milkshake. The french fries were quite a bit thicker, and you can see the potato skin on it which I always love. Crispy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside I'm usually a greasy, soft fry lover, not the crispy so this was a good combo! As for the shake, yummm.. this was my splurge since I ran the Angel Island 12K yesterday (no food pic but here's my victory pose after the race) :)

Now for some home cooked items
5) Mabo tofu with Lucy- I needed something quick and easy for a week day, so I made mabo tofu with brown rice (attempted and loved in my Japanese food project). No surprise, still loved it, and this time I used ground turkey in an attempt to be a bit more healthy :) Lucy said it hit the spot for her too- soft tofu, rice, a little soupiness... yumm...

6) Stuffed Cabbage- This has been something my Mom made time to time in between Japanese dinners, and I definitely liked them. There is something soothing about cabbage stuffed with ground meat (turkey in this case), carrots, onions, and a little brown rice, all cooked and braised in a tomato sauce concoction... the thing is, it doesn't have to be perfect- the first ones were much more pliable, but as I got deeper into the cabbage layers, they weren't as soft, so the top layer of my pot had some "rolled" pieces with the stuffing sticking out of it. Hey, it still tastes good and now it's soup!

7) "Beef" and barley soup- I put beef in quotes because I used ground turkey instead. I seem to have a lot of turkey according to what I'm posting, but I promise it's because I'm rolling them into one blog entry and only talking about the more unique dishes I've cooked lately! My friend Jamie had brought beef and barley soup to a girl's group and it was delicious so she emailed us all the recipe. Now I made it with turkey and it was delicious- Jeremy ate several bowls of it even though it was a little more tomato than he cared for. I liked it and we're both taking some for lunch too :)

Still to come since I stocked our fridge and cabinet this weekend... corned beef for St Patrick's Day, quinoa with salmon, and more! I'm also going to a new ramen place in Santa Clara so that review to come soon~