A Night with Chef Gerald Hirigoyen

Last night I went with Guam Foodie  and my parents to see a cooking demonstration from Chef Gerald Hirigoyen, of Bocadillos and Piperade.

The class was so enjoyable that we were left wanting more.  So we drove from San Mateo to San Francisco to have more food and wine at Bocadillos.  We ended up eating, drinking, and chatting it up all night with Chefs Gerald and Bob and the bar manager.  I can’t wait to go back!

Chef Gerald and his executive chef, Bob
Gerard was our chef and stand-up comic of the night.  He’s so much fun!

Pouring his Gift for the Class
Txakolina!  Pairs so nicely with all the food he made.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad
So delicious and refreshing!  I didn’t want this small plate to finish.  There were bits of avocado and herbs, as well.  The balsamic vinaigrette had a nice sweetness.

Snapper Ceviche
With frisee.  He likes using frisee.  The snapper was nicely coated with the acids and fish sauce.  The addition of Thai peppers provided a subtle spice.

Mussels with Bread Salad
The mussels were juicy and plump!  This was another refreshing small plate.

Monkfish
With olive oil, tomato, basil, olives, and capers.  This made the class smell so good.  The fish was nicely light and tender.  Such a simple, yet delicious dish!

Salt Cod with Piperade
Bacalao (salt cod) is one of my favorites.  I love its delicate bite.

With the chefs of the night!
Gerald is on my right, and Bob is on my left.  (I closed my eyes :(  -- I guess I was way too excited to be in their presence….)

Soup Season is Here

Where did Fall go?  The weather is so cold right now!  That means it’s soup season!

Pho Linh, Cupertino
Located across the street from De Anza College.  This place is brand new, and it’s pretty good.  All the ingredients are fresh.
Coconut Juice
Not overly sweetened, with generous chunks of coconut.  Mm!

Pho with Chicken
Coming from Disneyland, I was in a healthy mood.  So I opted for chicken over my usual beef order.  The chicken strips were tender, the broth was rich and tasty, and the noodles were fresh.  Overall, it was a good bowl of pho.

Garnish
Basil, Bean Sprouts, Lime, and Jalapenos.

Disneyland Weekend!

I went to Disneyland this past weekend to celebrate one of my friend’s Quarter Century.  It was the best weekend!  And, of course, we had some memorable meals.

Portillos, Buena Park
Located about 10 minutes (without LA traffic) away from Disneyland.  I rarely have fast food these days, but this is one of those places where I can justify a splurge since it’s something I have about once a year.

Beef & Cheddar Croissant
This is one of their signature sandwiches.  Italian beef with cheddar cheese and pickled jalapenos in a croissant.  Tasty!

Italian Sausage
With Sweet Peppers in a French Roll.  I love that the roll was light and crispy.  Another great sandwich!

Unfortunately, my pictures of the Cheese Fries and Onions Rings didn’t come out.  If you come here, you have to get those.  If you choose one, get the Cheese Fries!

Disneyland, Anaheim
I try not to eat too much while at the park because of the prices and because it’s not entirely healthy.  There are some must-eats at the park, though.

Chimichanga
This is at the same stand as the Turkey Legs (near the Small World ride).  If you’re starving, go for the Turkey Legs.  Otherwise, this Chimichanga  was pretty awesome.  Crispy and flaky on the outside, and goodness on the inside.

Dole Whip Float
While it’s hot out and you need a drink to cool down, this is an absolute must.  It’s around the corner from the Indiana Jones ride.

Steakhouse 55, Anaheim
The birthday dinner!  25 at 55!  This place is located in the Disneyland Hotel.  The dress code says casual, but the interior is nicely corrected.  It felt weird being park-casual here.  Nonetheless, it was a fun meal.  I ordered the Prix Fixe Menu.

The Menu 

The Inside

The Wine Pairing
For a refreshing start and to pair with my salad, first ordered a 2005 Riesling from the Mosel region.  Mosel’s have yet to fail me.

To pair with my steak, I ordered a 2006 Tempranillo.  It was okay.  It tasted really young, and it still needed plenty of time to air out.

Caesar Salad
With Croutons, Parmesan Crisps, and an Olive Tapenade.  Fresh and crispy romaine with a nice mild coat of dressing.  It was great to have a salad after the previous night’s dinner.

Petite New York Steak
5 oz. NY Steak with garlic mashed potatoes.  I ordered it Medium Rare, and as I expected, it came out medium.  It was a pretty good cut of steak, but it didn’t entirely impress me.  The potatoes were delicious and smooth, though.

Fig Tart
This was pretty good, but it felt overwhelming.  The fresh figs were nice, but the crust was a bit too thick.  But it was nice to have fruits to end the meat.

The Original Pancake House, Anaheim
For breakfast we went to grab some breakfast.  This place was pretty cool and I’m interested in trying out it’s Bay Area locations.

Dutch Baby
It’s basically a mini German pancake.  Or, like a flattened popover.  In any case, this was the first time I ordered this at a restaurant.  I’ve only eaten my brother’s version.  I still prefer my brother’s.  This wasn’t as crispy on the edges.  It was still tasty, though, especially topped with lemon and powdered sugar.

Corned Beef Hash
I got this as a side order.  This was a pretty good plate!  Nicely cooked and mashed up with the potatoes.  It was a good take on corned beef hash. 

Overall, the weekend was a successful foodie adventure with Portillos, Dole Whip Floats, Steak, and Breakfast!!

Gyro Search Continues

Ever since I had that amazing gyro in Seattle, I’ve been in search of a gyro here in the Bay Area that at least matches that tastiness.  So far, I’ve had no luck.  They have been tasty, but they don’t have that wow factor that hit me when I ate at Aladdin’s Gyro-cery.

Athena Grill, Santa Clara
This place is located in the middle of business complexes.  Once you enter, it’s like you’ve entered the set of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  It’s pretty fun.  Overall, I really enjoyed this place.  I will probably go back to try other items on the menu.

The Beer Pairing
Whenever I see a beverage menu, I try to order something I’ve never had before.  I’d definitely never had Greek beer.  So I ordered Hillas.   At first, the taste resembles a crisp Japanese beer.  Then, the after taste kicks in which resembles a Corona, with a hint of Jasmine.

Gyro Plate
Thin-slide spicy beef over a warm pita with red onion, tomato, and tzatziki with Greek fries.  Overall, it was good and everything was fresh.  The fries were nicely seasoned.  However, I was hoping the meat would have a more intense taste.

Birthday Celebration

I went back to Las Vegas for my mom's birthday weekend. As soon as we landed, we went straight to Burger Bar for a late dinner. We went straight to the bar back to grab out usual seats. One of the tables behind us was filled with kids eating burgers and milkshakes. I noticed that a few of the televisions were tuned to Dancing with the Stars. I found this odd, but I figured the kids preferred this to the usual ESPN channels. Suddenly the kids were yelling and screaming at the televisions. They were rooting the cast of the Lion King (who perform nightly at the Mandalay Bay Hotel). Not only were they cheering, they were yelling out names of the cast. These were the kids from the cast! How cool!

Asahi, Black Lager
Smooth, stout like brew with a mellow, yet deep taste. Delicious!

Low Carb Burger
Instead of bread buns, the Country Natural beef was between portobello mushrooms and a bed of asparagus.

Sliders
Buffalo with Caramelized Onions, Angus with Bacon, and Country Natural with Cheddar.


The next day, we went to the Venetian Hotel to eat at Enoteca San Marco, Mario Batali's restaurant.

The Inside

Friulano Bastianich, Friuli, 2007
A refreshing white to pair with the meal. This wine is produced by the Bastianich family (as in Lydia Bastianich, chef and business partner of Batali).

Acetaia, "Vinegar Maker's Salad"
Covered with Prosciutto. The prosciutto was delicate and delicious.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana
With tomato, cured pork, and onions. The pastas here are cooked perfectly al dente, and the sauce nicely coats it.

Linguine con Le Cozze
With mussels, saffrom, and marjoram (an herb). Another tasty and light pasta!


For the big dinner, my family and I ate at Hubert Keller's Fleur de Lys in the Mandalay Bay Hotel. I've eaten at his San Francisco restaurant several times. This was my first time in his Las Vegas establishment. The night did not disappoint. Everything was beautiful and delicious!
Please note: I'm still awaiting the release of my new camera. For now I'm still using my older camera which doesn't take the best low lighting shots., and in nicer restaurants, I tend not to use flash.
The Tapas Menu
$80 for 12 items - such a great deal!

The Inside

Homemade Pickled Olives
I enjoyed this because it was not overly pickled and it tasted so fresh.

Onion Soup with Truffle Oil
A delicately blended soup. The truffle oil was a delicious touch. A great start.

Salad
Lightly coated vinagrette. It was salad, nothing really that special.

Hearts of Palm
Another refreshing salad. Delicate and creamy.

Spoons of Tuna Tartare
Fresh tuna with a light dressing. A refreshing spoonful.

Charcuterie
A selection of cold cuts, such as spicy soppressata, soppressata, and prosciutto.

Croque Monsieur
One of the best croque monsieurs I've had! The crust was nice and crispy, and the cheese was oozing over. Mmm!

Potato Ravioli
The pasta was so light and fresh. The sauce was nice and deep, with a short rib taste. So good!

Fleur Sliders with Shoe String Potatoes
Kobe beef stuffed with blue cheese on a bed of Asian pears, with potato buns. This slider was far better than the ones in Burger Bar. So delicious!

Skirt Steak
With chimichurri sauce. Moist, tender, and well cooked meat with a delicate sauce.

Cheese Plate
Roquefort, Goat Cheese, and Sheep's Milk Cheese, with homemade honey.

The Breads for the Cheese
White chocolate bread and cranberry bread.


After we finished the Tapas Menu, we ordered a few more entrees. The tapas menu is generous, but we were a table of four so our stomachs were not quite full yet.
Citrus Glazed Halibut
Nicely cooked, and still rare inside.

Gently Heated Alaskan King Salmon
The plate of the night. The salmon was delicately cooked. Super delicious!

Stout Braised Beef Shortribs
A tasty cut of shortribs. The potato and carrot puree was so smooth and creamy.

Madeleines with a Chocolate Dipping Sauce
The madeleines are so light and airy, and crispy on the edges. It's the best madeleines I've had. The chocolate makes it even more delicious.

The Birthday Cake!
Srawberry mousse. It wasn't amazing, but it was good. A nice gesture for my mom's birthday.