Jaleo - Tapas by Chef Jose Andres

To further my fangirl status for Chef Jose Andres, my family and I went to Chef Andres's other Las Vegas restaurant, Jaleo. Jaleo is also located in the new Cosmopolitan Hotel. It has traditional Spanish tapas with Chef Andres's touch.

The design of the restaurant is open and inviting. We were so fortunate to get the coolest table in the house - the foosball dining table! As soon as we were seated, we were given the ball to play throughout our meal. (Read more about the table in the pictures below.)

The food is delicious, inspiring, and awesome. Andres manages to retain the essence of traditional Spanish tapas while integrating his playfulness. The tapas become even tastier than the traditional ones because of how he can enhance flavors and textures and use excellent ingredients. Plus, his presentation of tapas makes you want to order more and more plates to see how they'll come out. Unfortunately, our one disappointment was the presentation of the paella (simply on a plate). The next time I'm back in Vegas, I need to go back to see if they'll improve on that. Plus, it's a great excuse to eat more of his food.

His playful personality really comes out in his food. What a cool, fun, chef! Really, let's be BFFs, Chef!

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China Poblano - Chinese & Mexican Cuisine Fused Together by Chef Jose Andres

You know a restaurant is pretty amazing when it instantly becomes one of your favorite places halfway through the meal. That's exactly the experience I had at Chef Jose Andres's new restaurant in Las Vegas, China Poblano.

China Poblano mixes Chinese cuisine and Mexican cuisine. The restaurant is brightly decorated with both cultures. There is a dumpling/steaming side of the restaurant, and a taco side of the restaurant. The menu has both Chinese and Mexican items, and a fusion of selections..including some extremely awesome tacos. Plus, I had one of the coolest and one of the tastiest margaritas I've come across. The price can get pretty high if you order a lot like my family, but you have to keep in mind this is a hotel restaurant and by a celebrity chef.

Jose Andres has skyrocketed to be my number one favorite chef at the moment. His food is vibrant, delicious, and fun. And, he has trained his staff to be friendly and personable, much like his TV and Twitter personality.

Does anyone know if there is an application form to petition to be Jose Andres's BFF (Best Friend Forever)?? If you know, please please let me in the know! I would like to petition my parents, brothers, and myself to all be his BFFs.

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Chef's Table at The Fort

Despite being in Asia for most of this year, I still get really homesick for the Bay Area. I miss my friends, the beers, the bars, the restaurants... So when I find restaurants where it feels like it belongs in San Francisco, all my emotions of being homesick quickly disappear.

At Chef's Table, I felt like I was back in the Bay, and yet the type of food is better here than any I've encountered in the Bay Area. Chef Bruce Lim is a food television personality on the Asian Food Channel. I'll admit - I came into his restaurant with a bias to really like him. I mean, the guy wears San Francisco Giants jerseys on his TV show. (Go Giants!! - Yes, I'll be on a World Series high for awhile.)

His food, the presentation, the atmosphere of the restaurants, and his cocktail menu are all so refreshing and contemporary. It all beautifully shows diners that Filipino food can really successfully be modernized and in a nice restaurant setting. I like his concept of the chef's table. The kitchen is completely open to see the chefs working. I loved seeing the chefs pay attention to our table and when to fire up our next courses.

As for his cocktail menu.. I've totally been missing good quality mixed drinks. I've gone to too many restaurants and bars here where the drinks are painfully watered down or simply tastes like juice. I guess you can argue that I should just order liquor straight up. But there's so much fun ordering cocktails in which the flavors contrast and balance out in each refreshing sip. And finally here at his restaurant, the cocktail menu does just that. There's so much creativity in his menu!

After our complete and satisfying dinner, we're definitely coming back to try out the rest of the menu and his cocktail list. This place can definitely shine in the metropolitan cities states. It's great to know that there are quality and fresh places like this here in Manila.

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Mexican Night In

When you spend significant time, and/or your formative years, in California you develop an enjoyment for Mexican food. For most of 2009, I was on a quest in the Bay Area to find my favorite burrito. So far, that award goes to Sancho's Taqueria, which also has my favorite Fish Tacos.

Since I've been here in Asia, I have had several cravings for quality Mexican food. I have yet to find a place here that creates an authentic taste. So what can I do about? Make it at home! We had some Snake River steaks in the freezer, so I made Fajitas for dinner. Fajitas aren't authentically Mexican; it's actually a Tex-Mex cuisine. But it still hits the spot and fulfills that craving, especially when paired with a strong Margarita, or two or three...

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Osmanthus Wine in Xing Ping

Along our walk through Xing Ping, we passed by an osmanthus wine factory, where they produced and sold local osmanthus wine. Osmanthus trees and flowers bloom in the fall in this area, when I heard is a beautiful time of the year to visit. Aside from tea flowers and in desserts, the osmanthus flowers are also used to produced wine.

It's a sweet wine, as sweet as a dessert wine but not as thick and heavy. This particular batch that we tasted was so smooth, light, and refreshing! We promised the ladies of the factory and ourselves that we would stop by before they closed. Unfortunately, we got there just after it closed! We bought a few cheaper bottles in the market across the street - it was just not the same. It was rough and cheap tasting. Next time I encounter a variety of osmanthus wine, I'll definitely invest in a quality bottle.

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Eating at Shangri-La's Boracay Resort & Spa

As soon as we arrived at the resort, we did not want to leave. And we didn't leave until our last night. So for one night and two days, we completely enjoyed the resort and all it had to offer.

On our first day, we enjoyed three different restaurants and bars around the resort. Each had a nice, relaxing resort comfort, while providing fresh and healthy tasting foods. It was a great welcome to the resort, to Boracay, and to our vacation.
(In the mornings, we would enjoyed the breakfast buffet, which I forgot to take pictures of...I guess I have to go back for that...)


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Cravings

At this point, I had been away from the states for about three months. My cravings for my usual eats were on the front of my brain. There were some days when I could only think about Sancho's burritos and fish tacos and Prima Deli's Turkey Special, among other local foods from the Bay Area. Even though I knew I might be disappointed, I tried some places around Manila to attempt to satisfy my cravings.



Agave, Fort Bonifacio
My friend and I were both having ridiculous burrito cravings, so we decided to try out Agave. Unfortunately, our cravings were not satisfied.

Bottomless Margaritas
For 295 pesos (just under $7). It came from a pre-blended frozen mix. It was decent, but the taste was too watered down with all that blended ice.

Carnitas Solo Burrito
The burrito did not hit that food spot. It felt too minimal and the tortilla was too stiff. When it comes to burritos, I'm looking for those hearty fillings.

New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks & Oysters, Fort Bonifacio
A couple of my friends were in town, so I took them to High Street in Fort Bonifacio. It was a nice place to leisurely walk around. We decided on this restaurant because of it's fitting happy hour feel (loud music and appetizers to share). It was pretty good. It's definitely more of a place to drink with a big group, rather than to enjoy the food.

Bloody Mary Oysters
Nice plump oysters on the half shell topped with cocktail sauce.

Fried Artichokes
Thickly coated with batter, but a decent fried dish. I love artichokes.

Steak Fries

Chicken Barbeque Nachos
What a generous order! This was decent, but I found the barbeque sauce to be too sweet (and Filipinos love sweet tasting foods and drinks. Unfortunately, I don't prefer anything to be too sweet for taste and health reasons).

Mickey's Delicatessen, Makati
My parents took me here to for lunch and to purchase some bread and delis. Overall, I enjoyed this place which helped satisfy a little bit of my American sandwich craving.

Nurnberger Pork Sausages
With sauerkraut. The specialty of the house. Nicely grilled sausages!

Home-made Back Ham and Cheese Sandwich
In a french baguette with coleslaw. Yum! A great sandwich with a tasty ham filling.

Tonga Room

Girls' Nights Out are always memorable. On this particular night, we went to the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. It is one of the oldest Tiki Bars in the nation. Overall it was a unique experience. The night was fun, but everything was overpriced.

The Inside
They went all out with the decorations. So awesome!

The Live Band!
They get on a boat and perform in the middle of the pool all night. When they perform, there is a cover charge of $7 that is included in your bill.

Mai Tai
This is their famous drink. One sip and we all knew we were in for a fun night.

Hurricane
First, you get to keep the glass. Second, the straw is three times long. Third, the drink was, again, nice and strong.

Shiitake Egg Rolls
Crispy rolls filled with shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and onions with Tonga Sauce. Nicely fried, and an overall good egg roll.

Price Edward Island Mussels
With sauteed Portuguese sausage, maui onions, garlic, and Kona Long Board lager and topped with sweet potato fries. The fries added a nice texture to the dish. The sausage gave it a fun island taste.

Seared Diver Scallops
With sauteed corn, Hobb's bacon, scallions, and spinach with a yuzu beurre blanc sauce. Delicious! The scallops were perfectly cooked, and the corn had a great bacon taste.

Island Lamb Curry
Braised lamb, ginger, and chilis with sauteed spinach and sweet potato. It had a good taste, but I found the lamb a bit tough and overcooked.

Alena's Mix
Soy marinated tofu, shimeji mushrooms, snap peas, and garlic. A nice plate of vegetables. The mushrooms were tasty.

"Forbidden Blend" Fried Rice
Forbidden black, white jasmine, Bhutanese red, and jade pearl bamboo rice. This was a great bowl of rice! It had a nice light fried rice taste.

Flaming Tonga Volcano
We saw this flaming volcano from the start of dinner, and we had to get it. The flame was pretty cool, but the taste and execution of the dessert was a fail. The black sesame sauce tasted off, and the volcano cake itself wasn't impressive.

Tongacchino with Kahlua
We added the side of Kahlua to give our nightcap a good kick. It worked.

Nights In

I have more or less worn out the Vegas scene of partying all the time at nightclubs. When I'm here in Vegas and staying at the vacation house, I prefer staying in to enjoy the house.

All Day Happy Hour
I used to feel awkward drinking alone. I would wait until I was with my friends or my parentsto drink. For the past couple of years, I've grown out of that awkwardness. Once my work is done, a glass or so is more than welcome to wind down the day.
A cocktail while watching Bobby Flay's Throwdown. I love martinis, both gin and vodka. I lean towards the non-sweet drinks when I have the option. I love olives, too. So a Dirty Martini is naturally one of my favorite cocktails.

Thai Curry with Shrimp
When it comes to cooking at home, I try to use what's in the pantry before going to the grocery. I found a Green Curry Sauce bottle from Trader Joe's in the pantry. The taste right from the bottle was already great. I just sauteed some onions and yellow peppers to give an element of freshness. I then added super fresh shrimps for a couple of minutes. Delicious!

Corn & Ham Pasta in a Cream Sauce
This is once of my favorite homemade pastas. The sweetness of the corn is a fantastic contrast to the ham - usually bacon or pancetta.

Mushroom Risotto
I found some dried mushrooms and arborio rice in the pantry. I used low sodium chicken brother, dry Sherry, and the mushroom broth (from hydrating the dried mushrooms). All these liquids blended so well together to create a great mushroom taste. I'm inspired to work on this recipe to match it to the best mushroom risotto I had in Paris.

Cheese Omelette
It's been said that if you can cook an egg well, you can cook well. I've taken this to heart. So far, my egg specialties are my scrambled eggs and my omelettes. Both dishes are made without the use of milk. It's just eggs, butter, and seasonings.
For this particular omelette, I used Gouda cheese and red pepper flakes, topped with Parmesan.

Belgian Waffle
This is a house specialty. The batter is made the night before so it can rise. It took us years to find the perfect wafflemaker. The result is a light, fluffy, and crispy waffle. It's the best.

Banana Banana Pudding
After eating at Magnolia and Buttercup in NYC, my mom was inspired to recreate the delicious banana pudding. She made two varieties. This uses banana pudding as the custard base. It was very delicious, smooth, and creamy.

Vanilla Banana Pudding
This is the second variety, using vanilla pudding as the custard base. I preferred this. The banana taste was just as intense, and it was creamier. I love the chunks of Nilla wafers and fresh slices of bananas. So delicious!

Hello Again, San Diego!

I found myself in San Diego for a second time this summer. The city is growing on me. A beach town and a city - that's my kind of getaway. I was there with friends for the Street Scene music festival, a 2 day concert in downtown San Diego. It was an amazing weekend.

In n' Out, All over the 101.
This is a standard stop for any California roadtrip. Cheeseburger, Animal Style. That's my usual order. It never disappoints.


Breakfast at Chez Trevor
After a long roadtrip, I woke up the smell of bacon and banana pancakes. I'm not just raving about these pancakes because they were made by a friend. No way. I would say something like, "They were pretty good," if I didn't think they were the best. These pancakes were awesome! It's the best I've had because of the mashed chunks of bananas, and most of all, the crispy edges. Yum!


Taco Fiesta, Midway
After an afternoon at La Jolla Shores, we came to this local spot for an early dinner. It's a pretty nice place for tasty Californian-Mexican food.

Carne Asada Fries
This was tasty! The meat was well seasoned and the fries were fresh.


The Boardwalk, Mission Beach
A nice breakfast before the beach spot. The outdoor seating was great for people watching, too.
$13 Pitchers of Mimosas
Now that's how you start a day! Insider Tip: Try to get the waitress to spill a glass on your lap. You'll get a second free pitcher!

Breakfast Quesadilla
Bits of bacon and ham with the chunks of scrambled eggs and cheese. A pretty good plate of breakfast.


Basic, East Village
We were regulars here for two days straight because it was the closest bar to the concert. This place was pretty chill and had a cool scene.
White Pie
With sun-dried tomatoes, onions, sausage, and artichokes. A great pizza! Thin crust, crispy, and not oily. It passed my standards.


Until next time, San Diego!

Bringing Back the Happy Hour Tradition

Blowfish Sushi, Santana Row
I've only eaten in the restaurant once, but I have been the bar/lounge several times since I turned 21. They have a great selection when you're in the mood for summer drinks - a little sweet and very refreshing.

Mango Mojito
I love mojitos! It's one of my favorite summer drinks. I love the mixture of lime and muddled mint. This mango mojitos takes it a step further by adding some mango puree. So delicious!

Pear Spritz
This is my second favorite drink here. It's house sake, with orange liquer, fresh pear soda, and a squeeze of lemon. Another refreshingly fun drink.

Edamame
Japanese version of bar nuts. Mmm!

Happy Hour with the Folks

One of my best memories of college is happy hours in Santana Row. My parents were looking for a place for an early dinner, so we went to Straits. (Note: Happy Hour specials are only in the bar/lounge area)

House Cocktails - $5!
Ginger Drop

Gin Mule
Like a Mojito, but with Gin instead of Rum.

Indonesian Corn Croquettes
Decent, but this didn't really impress me. The whole bits of corn were nice, though.

Chili Garlic Dipping Sauce

Roti Prata
Indian flatbread with yellow curry dipping sauce. Delicious!

Crispy Calamari
Well fried with a kaffir lime cocktail sauce and jalapeno aioli. A great starter to share with the table.

Singapore Satay Sticks
Chicken and beef with a spicy peanut sauce. Both proteins were moist and tender. Another great starter!

Mexican Bistro

Consuelo's Mexican Bistro, Santana Row, San Jose
Tequilito
Mojito with tequila instead of rum. They add their own twist by adding pomegranite juice. It was ok. A bit too sweet for my liking and a bit too watered down.

Ensalada de Jicama
Great presentation. Jicama is always nice and refreshing when served chilled like this.

Tacos de Salmon
Nicely grilled salmon wrapped with fresh flour tortillas

Tostadas de Tinga
Delicious stewed chicken on a crispy tortilla. Best dish of the night.

Tres Leches
Americanized tres leches with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. It was ok, but I wouldn't order it again. The tres leches tasted more like un leche, just the milk and not the evaporated and condensed milk.



Overall a decent meal. If I'm in Santana Row and I feel like Mexican food, I would come here again.