Thursday, August 16, 2007

Mistral


GetImage.ashx, originally uploaded by aznkey.

I really wish that we have pictures that does justice to our experience at Mistral. The lighting in the restaurant was way too dark for our camera's to get good pictures. The picture above i stole online, see how everything is a yellowish hue. Nice atmosphere,but nono for pictures. The place was pretty crowded when we got there at 8 so I'm pretty sure that reservation was a must. We were slightly relieved that we weren't kicked out for being under dressed. For the most part though people were dressed well, only a few slobs pushing the limit of business casual. We were seated towards the back by their while cellar in a booth. The atmosphere of the restaurant was quite lovely, it was classy but not pretentious. Service for the most part was good, more on that later. The volume of the room was pretty loud so there wasn't the need to whisper for fear of being rude. Ok enough fluff talk, on to the food.

The meal began with some nice bread and butter/spread. No wait, make that Awesome butter and wicked garlic spread. I was the first one to dig into the bread while everyone else was looking at the menu. I don't really know how to describe the taste, I just remember saying after my first bite " this butter is reaally goood..." I guess everyone thought i was just hungry or something because I was like on my third piece of bread before anyone else dug in. The yummy garlic and herb was nice and mild, which is nice cause no one like garlic breath. While this was not the first time we finished a bread basket, it was certainly a first for finishing all the butter and spreads.

Now about the service. We sat for a long time maybe like 15 minutes before our orders were taking. I was getting kind of annoy and expected better service at a restaurant of this caliber. However, when our waiter finally arrived he did immediately apologize and explained his reasons. So he took our orders and between the four of us we ordered every item on the prix fixe menu. I felt like a really messy eater as i sat staring at the bread crumbs on the table while we waited for our food. I was just about to brush it off on to the floor when another waiter came with a scoopula like device to scrap off all the bit of food from the table. This table cleaning happen in between each course throughout the meal, neat huh. ookay food....

Summer Tomato Gazpacho with Cilantro Crema & Crab

This chilled tart soup refreshes your taste buds while teasing your appetite. At first i was expecting to taste salsa in a bowl but it was much better than that. The cilantro creme and crab meat played nicely off of the tomato helping to tone down the acidity. I couldn't tell that the creme with cilantro though. A beautiful appetizer that leaves you ready for the next course.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Chilled Corn Soup with Rock Shrimp & Avocado, Jalapeno Oil

I'm am seldom wowed by what I eat but this time I am truly impressed. Hands down the best corn soup i;ve ever had. The first thing that comes to mind when the first drop of soup hits your tongue is how light this soup is for something that appears to be cream based. The next sensation you experience would be your taste buds screaming CORN! It's amazing how a soup so light can pack so much flavor. It's like drinking the essence of corn. The key must be access to some impeccable corn combined with skilled roasting technique.

Free Range Chicken Breast & Confit Leg with Toasted Cornbread, Caramelized Peach

Sylvia's dish.
The breast of the chicken was nicely roasted with crispy skin. It was moist and tender, though flavor wise it was nothing special. The melt in your mouth confit leg however was wonderful. The cornbread was toasted to perfection with a soft moist center, receiving the title of "the best corn bread I've ever had" from Sylvia. The corn niblets on under the chicken was also very fresh and tasty, probably used to make the chilled soup.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Summer Vegetable & Couscous Salad

Vincent's order.
The salmon was light seasoned allowing the fish to speak for itself. I thought it was either over cooked and not juicy enough for me. Everyone else seemed to have liked it though. The bed of couscous with tomatoes and zucchini was a light side. I enjoy the chewy texture of the couscous. Decent but not WOWed.

Skillet Roasted Sirloin Steak with Watercress-Potato Hash, Gorgonzola &

This is what is ordered. I check their regular menu and this dish alone would have cost more than the whole 3 course prix fixe @ $42
Another impressive dish that I would consider paying full price for. The only complaint i have is that I wish i had more of the tasty port wine reduction. You'd think that the dribble of red sauce is just to decorate the plate right. Wrong! The sweet aromatic reduction packs an explosive flavor and accentuates the beef. The sirloin itself was perfectly cooked to medium as requested with a nice and crispy crust on the edges. The bed of potato hash with watercress underneath was also delicious satisfying the need for carbs when you eat meat. The slab of Gorgonzola cheese add a nice touch of pungency to the dish if you like that, i could do without it. But damn it give me more port wine sauce!

Warm Stonefruit Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

I expected the cobbler to be at least a bit warm but instead it was served at room temperature. It was still great though, I'm sure I would have finished it if i wasn't so full. The crumble on top had an excellent balance of texture between bread like and crunch. The scoop of pale vanilla ice cream was certainly home made and packed with a billion tiny seeds. The cooked peach underneath was a bit tart for me, but i guess it is okay if you eat it with the ice cream.

The other dessert which i don't have a picture of was a dark chocolate mousse. It was a bit more dense than some of the other mousse i've had. But it was certainly rich, dark, and smooth.
Overall but desserts were decent, but not exceptional. I guess I also expected a bit more on presentation. I mean, presentation wise, it could have been made in any other kitchen.

middle eastern desserts


middle eastern desserts, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Lobster roll & chowder


Lobster roll & chowder, originally uploaded by aznkey.

After lunch at Finale we walked around Boston following the freedom trailer which led us through historical landmarks in downtown. Quincy market was where everything was happening though. Lots of little street vendors, nifty stores and of course a HUGE food court that made up a third of the place. The sight of all the food venues stretching down what seem like an endless aisle when you first enter is breath taking. Choosing what to eat becomes a difficult and daunting task. Your eyes furiously scan every glass display while your brain tries to match the awesome aromas your nose is picking up. Could it be the grill scallops wrapped in bacon? Or is it the Italian sweet sausage. Maybe the chicken curry or smoky chipotle cheddar popcorn ... SIgh if only i had multiple stomaches like a cow. So we settled for a lobster roll and clam chowdA. Can't go wrong with mayonnaise and chunks of lobster in a roll, i mean really. The chowder was just as delicious, rich and creamy.

Fried dough


Fried dough, originally uploaded by aznkey.

There is really no resisting deep fried foods for me. The fumes from boiling vats of oil call out to me. I just had to buy one. I'm thinking this is probably a boston thing because i've never seen it before. I was expecting something like a funnel cake just in a different shape. I was wrong=( It was actually dough, so the texture was more dense and dough/bread like. Also it could have used a bit more powder sugar since it was pretty thick, a good 3/4 inch thick. I suggest sticking to funnel cakes my friends!

Finale


finale, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Lunch at Finale. Not bad, but certainly a bit disappointing for using up a "restaurant week" card. Should have known better, they are known for dessert and not haute cuisine. The 3 course prix fixe lunch was 20 each and this is what we had...

Monday, August 13, 2007

fig bread


fig bread, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Yummy bread with a fig center. I liked the texture of the crunchy seed.

Soup du dour


split pea soup, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Split pea soup with ham and chicken noodle. We all got soup instead of the salad. We should have at least tried on salad. Amateurs. The split pea soup had a good flavor to it. I just i wish had used a finer strainer. The chicken noodle was average with freshly cooked al dente pasta.

white pizza


white pizza, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Grilled chicken, caramelized onions, feta and lemon cream sauce. This pizza would have been awesome without the feta. Maybe because we don't really like it. The caramelized onions were sweet and deliciously and the the crust was light and crispy. We would have other the other pizza with basil and tomato i bet it would have been kick ass. Note to self- Don't prevent yourself from ordering common items in fancy restaurants. Simple can be delicious.

Duck Confit


duck confit, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Duck confit served with mango chutnet, stone ground mustard, cornichons and baguette.

Sorta disappointing since three of us order the confit expecting it to be awesome. The duck meat was dry along with the baguette. The mango chutney reminded me to chinese plum sauce. The tiny pickles were cute though. The duck that we will soon have will so blow this out of the water.


molten chocolate cake, originally uploaded by aznkey.

molten chocolate


molten chocolate cake 1, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Their signature dessert- baked to order warm chocolate cake with a gooey center served with coffee ice cream and milk chocolate covered almonds.

I was not a fan of the cake. The cake was not very cake like, sorta mushy. I really like the coffee ice cream though. It was super coffee-ey.

Cheesecake


cheese cake, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Cheesecake with chocolate florentine cookie with strawberry compote.

The creamy cheese cake went well with the fruit compote since it was not flavored. I prefer my cheesecakes to be lighter, but everyone else seem to like it. The cookie seems like a caramel brittle to me.

Want a cookie?


double tree complimentary cookie, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Apparently Double Trees give out warm cookies when you check it. Not the best in the world, but not bad either. Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. They were obviously not fresh baked, but were kept warm to give an illusion of it.

A humble beginning


lunchable, originally uploaded by aznkey.


midnight snack, originally uploaded by aznkey.

We left for Boston on Thursday night and of course we get the munchies on the way there. God bless 24 hour markets. Everything seemed tasty and we ended up dropping $30 on junk food. Hopes were that it would last the whole trip.
Ration
Lunchables- mini hot dogs
Lunchables-mystery nuggets
keebler cookies
cape cod chips
cheetos white cheddar puffs
sun chips french onion
wildoats orange soda
sprite
rice krispy treats
mixed box of cereal bars
yodels

Let talk about the lunchables. They were Vincent's, no one else was brave enough to eat them. Asides from the ham and cracker sets none of the other meals seem edible to me. Oh well he was warned..

"vincent, how is the chicken?"
" Nasty. Why did you think i ate it so fast? So I didn't have to taste it."

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Russian Roulette


el fishy le tomate, originally uploaded by aznkey.

We played a dangerous game last night. Some people were hurt. Some were extremely lucky. No one knew they were playing... We were having our detox dinner last night and It was certainly unsuspected for Felicia to say that a tomato she just ate tasted like fish. She described the horrid taste of raw fish that she had just experienced to her skeptical audience. My aunt suggested that she may have been eating a piece of fish before hand. And my uncle said that there was no way his home grown tomatoes, fresh from the yard, could taste like fish. Unless... the bowl they were in was used to defrost the fish we were having. He then took a tomato from the bowl and ate it. Frustrated, Felicia stated that she was not stupid and was sure that it was not the fish we were eating. Having doubts myself I tried a tomato myself and agreed with my uncle that the tomatoes were fine.
We continued to eat. About 10 minutes later I reached for another tomato and boy was that a mistake. There was an explosion of foul fish in my mouth that reminded of me of a rotting corpse plant. I was close to vomiting as I tried to tell everyone that I had just experienced the sensation that Felicia was describing earlier. A smile appeared on Felicia's face, she was not crazy. We tossed ideas around for what could have been the cause of this phenomenon. There was still doubt in those who have not yet been enlightened. Dinner was almost over when my uncle screamed, " EHHh I got it. I got it!" as he splat into his bowl. He had just bit into the last tomato.

Detox day 2


Miso Cod, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Dinner

Miso cod
We didn't have miso paste so I used an instant miso soup packet.

miso packet
brown sugar
white wine
murin
dissolve miso and sugar in pan with mirin. Add wine and set it on fire. Set aside.

Sear pieces of cod in a hot pan with a few table spoons of olive oil. When cod is nicely colored and cooked turn off heat and add some of the miso sauce. Swirl it around.

Mean while heat another pan and saute some julienned carrots and onions. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of aromatic alcohol, i used chinese rice wine. When carrots are tender add scallion.

plate it.

Veggie stir fry


Veggie stir fry, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Couldn't come up with a better way to use up all the veggies in the fridge.

wierd looking bell peppers
zucchini
carrot
red onion
cabbage
mushroom
chicken bullion
soy
salt & pepper

Lunch


Basil garlic penne, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Basil, garlic and tomato with whole wheat penne. Tasted okay, but it needs a little extra something to solidify the flavor. Maybe more olive oil, maybe more bacon, maybe some butter=0 However that would defeat the point of detox. It was a light meal though, even after a large plate it didn't leave me heavy in food comma so i guess it was what i intended. A light meal.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Detox day 1


citrus shrimp, originally uploaded by aznkey.

To prepare for our eating frenzy Boston trip we have decide to do a bit of healthy detox eating before hand. Today i made some tomato cabbage soup, mapo tofu and citrus shrimp. An odd combination of chinese and california cuisine i know. The shrimp was pretty good, the secret is in the awesome square plate. Lets give it a fancy name- Pan seared citrus shrimp on a bed of corn,avocado, and cara cara orange salsa.

eye balling
shrimp marinade

orange juice - 2 tbs
lime juice-2 tbs
salt- pinch
pepper-pinch
fish sauce-1 ts
ketchup- very little
brown sugar- 1 tbs
honey-1 ts

Salsa
1 cara cara orange -segmented
1 avocado
2 tbs of chopped red onions
1 tbs lime juice
1 tbs olive oil
1 ear of corn- kernels removed and boiled
salt and pepper to taste

Le creme puff tower


Le creme puff tower, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Wait a minute, what is this doing here? I'm not supposed to be cooking...

Disneyland


Jim's, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Here we are lining up for Disney's latest attraction, Jim's Steak. Okay, maybe not. We are in Philly for some of their Cheese steak sandwiches. Freshly cooked top round steak with white american cheese, mushrooms and grilled onion on a soft roll- worth the wait my friend.. worth the wait.

SriPraPhai


dessert case, originally uploaded by aznkey.

Lunch at SriPraPhai was a blast. Since we had 9 people there we got to order alot of food. Say it with me, VARIETY. My cousins and I were all mesmerized by the dessert case by the entrance.

thai desserts


thai desserts, originally uploaded by aznkey.

From the top and going clockwise.
Unripened mango with a savory dipping sauce made from palm sugar, dried shrimp, fish sauce and lime juice.

Sweet rice cake that is sorta like a mochi

Loch chon- chewy rice noodles flavor with a special thai plant extract in coconut cream.

Don't know what this is called- Rice flour mochi like things covered with coconut shreds that you dip in palm sugar with toasted rice crispies

Tup tim- Jack fruit, jello, water chestnut wrapped in mochi all swimming in coconut milk and syrup.

coconut jello- the texture of this does not taste like jello, because it's made with agar gar so it;s harder than regular jello and more.. brittle?

thai fried rice


thai fried rice, originally uploaded by aznkey.

I am a sucker for thai fried rice. 8 out of 10 times i'll order this, the other 2/10 it will be pad see ew if possible=p

thai noodle


thai noodle, originally uploaded by aznkey.

i didn't try this, so i can't tell you what it taste like

duck noodle


duck noodle, originally uploaded by aznkey.

raad nah


raad nah, originally uploaded by aznkey.

a soupy relative of pad see ew, but this one is just ridiculously soupy. I have never seen it served in a bowl before.

pad see eew


pad see eew, originally uploaded by aznkey.

been craving this for a while

hoi tot


hoi tot, originally uploaded by aznkey.

My favorite dish of the day. Seafood pancake made from green mussels fried to perfection, even the mussels were crispy! Dip it in a little sweet hot sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

curry puff


curry puff, originally uploaded by aznkey.

these were okay. the filling was tasty but the pastry was too mushy. I must find a way to convince my aunt to give me her awesome recipe. Tyler, if you are reading this, Get me your mom's recipe!!!

shrimp ceviche


shrimp ceviche, originally uploaded by aznkey.

raw shrimp in a thai lime vinaigrette with green chili and mint. Better than i expected.

papaya salad


papaya salad, originally uploaded by aznkey.

a refreshing salad made with unripened papayas

Dinner


before, originally uploaded by aznkey.

After many many hours of pondering and walking we decided on having Spanish food for dinner. Still the same day, 28th. It was so hard to pick a place when there were so many choices to choose from. There was just about every single cuisine you could think of available within the 4 block vicinity. Anyways, on to the food. Excuse the fuzzy picture, it's the sangria. We had some calamari, mussels, some sort of fried meat balls, seafood paella, sausage and bell pepper pork chops, and chicken stew. Too much food to fit on the table.

lalo


lalo, originally uploaded by aznkey.

after lunch we went to cafe Lalo for some desserts.
Here we have a chocolate madness.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Maze at the London

So for my birthday, we had lunch at Maze at the London. Lets see how the infamous Gordon Ramsay's restaurant fared.
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