WAFFLE WALLOP

Running out of store bought waffle mix prompted me to find a quick waffle recipe online. It is adapted from www.allrecipes.com. In my version, I use organic ingredients. These turned out crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. The whipped cream and blueberries added an additional wallop of flavors.

So, now at the whim of my wife and my cravings for waffles, we have a pack of pre-made waffle mix. Just add the wet ingredients the morning of.

Ingredients: 2 eggs, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups milk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons sugar, 4 teaspoons baking power, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions: Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bow until fluffy, add milk, vanilla, oil and beat together. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, flour, baking power, and salt. Add the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk/blend well until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Spray preheated waffle iron with vegetable oil. Pour mix onto the hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Above is served with blueberries and whipped cream (1/4 cup heavy whipping cream plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar, whip with hand blender or if you're willing, your hands and whisk).

Tremendous T-Rex

Berkeley, CA - T-Rex is T-riffic. Fred Flintstone would love this place. It may not make your Bedrock, but definitely will make your taste bud stand at attention.

Here’s a casual BBQ place that is clean, friendly, and has tasty food. We made it during happy hour (3-6pm) on Saturday where local Oysters are $1,50/piece; Pabst Blue Ribbon $2,00/glass and there’s much, much more on the Happy Hour Menu (we’re coming back to try them).

We ordered a half rack of baby back ribs ($14) – tasty without the bbq sauces (server let us have both the mild and hot). I found the sauces earthy and savory. The ribs were dense, meaty and definitely not skimpy. The rub is fabulous that I ate the ribs without the sauce.
My wife had the bbq chicken breast ($12)- moist and huge serving. She had a glass of Rose ($4,50)

Both dishes came with a creamy potato salad which wasn’t doused with mayo; and a thick slice of bread.

We tried the side dishes of corn bread (large serving, cake-like with maple syrup and butter) ($5); and the Mac & Cheese ($8) creamy sauce and cheesy topping.

This is a go back place. Service is fast and friendly. The food is comfort food at it’s best. T-Rex comes from a good pedigree of other top notch restaurants in Berkeley. We sat upstairs near the window and enjoy the view out the window. There are large flat panel TV’s if one chooses to watch.

A Star Dimly Lit - etoile at Chandon - Yountivlle, CA

There were a few shining stars the night we dined at etoile. It certainly wasn’t a meteor shower, and even the Michelin star, touted on their voicemail, didn’t shine in my wife’s and my eyes.

The night stroll from the parking lot to the restaurant doors was romantic. With the bare winter oak trees lit each with its own light, and crossing the bridge over the babbling stream surely would add to the ambiance of our Valentine dinner celebration, so we thought.

Up the stairs we climbed, we opened the door at the top, and bam- a whiff of fish aroma permeated the air. We looked at each other, and both our heads tilted opposite of each others and eyes rolled. There were a few couples already waiting in the tasting room, and we too would be asked to wait for our table to be ready.

Service was banquet-like, dishes were placed in front, and plates & flatware removed mechanically. Service wasn’t very personable. My wife was missing a napkin and we asked for one. The bread and butter plopped on the table. No explanation. There were two types of bread and the butter had black salt specs. We figured it out that the breads were sour dough and the other filled with cranberry and raisins.

The Sweetheart Tasting Menu included Dungeness Crab and passion fruit puree (sweet crab and tart sauce that balanced it out nicely); Seared Dayboat Scallops (tender and flavorful with smoked bacon and sweet kumquats); Roasted Beef Tenderloin (really tender and perfect, with earthy mushrooms); My wife doesn’t eat beef, and asked for a substitution of venison and our waiter checked and confirmed. It was so tender. Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk cheese (creamy and pungent; and the frisee and blood orange was a good compliment); and for dessert, the Chocolate bag with raspberry milkshake and amaretto cookies (the chocolate bag was creatively made; milkshake creamy and cookies moist (I really liked the cookies the best)).

My wife added the wine paring (and of course I sipped from here glass): etoile Tete de Cuvee 2000; Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay, 2007; Newton Unfiltered Cab Sauv, 2006; etoile Rose. The best match was the Cab, nice nose and long finish.

There wasn’t an amuse bouche or parting truffle mini gift box, not that we wanted them, but just surprised there wasn’t for this caliber of restaurant. Our linen napkins weren’t folded when we each left (on seperate occassions) the table upon our return from the restroom.

The food came out at the right temperature, flavorful, and creatively. Service wasn’t bad, not exceptional. There are other one Michelin stars in the area that are much more deserving. etoile is French for “star”. This restaurant sits under the Yountville stars, but sitting inside, we don’t see many.

W's XYZ - San Francisco

San Francisco- W's XYZ is 1, 2, 3 - 3 stars of 5. It's a dining experience in a dance club setting on Friday night. The late night seating with upbeat music had our feet tapping and taste buds in glee. Was going to be rated four of five stars, but the Friday night noise wasn't conducive to fine dining.

My wife and I gave our order to Damian, our waiter: 2006 Chateau Montelena Cab (we first ordered the 05, but it was sold out), Crab aranchi (pickled cauliflower and frisse), Foie gras (and brioche), Pizza (Gorgonzola cheese, figs, caramelized onions, bacon and greens) and T-bone lamb (mashed potatoes and winter greens).

A puff pastry came out as an amuse bouche. Light and airy.

It was the T-bone lamb dish's opening night. I had it cooked medium rare. It was flavorful and tender. I assumed it was coming out that way, but it came out medium. I mentioned it to Damian, and he took it back and got me the medium rare one with no questions.

The crab arancini made of dungenous crab was sweet on the inside and crunchy on the outside. What added to the dish was the pickled cauliflower.

The foie, brioche, and quince combo was delicious. The Pizza had a nice crunchy crust; the figs and Gorgonzola cheese was a good contrast to each other. We had the bacon on the side.

The chocolate bar dessert with a scoop of banana ice cream was rich and creamy.

The Cab had a nice nose (leather new car smell) and tastes of berries and a hint of oak. It was very nice.

Service was right on. Chef Paul's food tasty. Make reservations on a non dj night or maybe even an early time.

GOLDILOCK'S SPARKLES

Newark CA - You know this was coming. Mama and Papa bear returned the favor and went to Goldilock's. Tasted the tuna kinilaw (ceviche), bbq chicken, pork short ribs, fried calamari, garlic rice and everything wasn't just "just right, "too cold", "too hot", but just perfect.

Usually Pilipino food can be too dry, too spicy, too greasy, too soggy and too whatever.

Chef Brian cooks traditional Pilipino food with french preparation. The presentation isn't a blob of this or that, but nicely appeal ling. The veggies are uniformly cut and sauces smooth and flavorful. The tuna dish with a creamy mango sauce is an example. The sauce is not too sweet and it's creamy. The BBQ chicken on a bamboo skewer had a sweet and not too tart (acidic) sauce (achara included). The chicken was plump and moist. Chef Brian's signature dish of the tuna ceviche had the nicely uniformed cut veggies. The tuna was moist. The calamari was crispy (vinegar and garlic dip included). Each bite produced a crunch followed by the softness of the squid. I like the tentacles the best.

The wine: Sonoma Landing 2005 Merlot. It was fruit forward, smooth and nice nose. It matched the dishes we had.

For dessert, we had the coconut pandan. It was fresh, cold and not too sweet. It was very refreshing.

We were invited by our Ate (not really my eldest sister) but our friend from church. The Friday night we had dinner, the band Vintage Plus Dance Band played until midnight. They played uptempo beat music.

The service was surprising attentive. When we were ready to go, we asked for the check. Whatever we needed, we got promptly.

On this Friday night, there was a $10/person cover charge, but it's credited back when you order dinner. We just presented the receipt with the bill and our payment. We'll be back when we're in the area and when there's live music.

It was great to have Pilipino food that was nicely presented. Go Chef Brian!

Garlic-Ginger Dungenous Crab

The other day my wife and I were craving garlic-ginger crab. That afternoon, we were on a mission to buy crab, dungenous crab specifically. We purchased a two pound (about 1 kilo) weighted sized one. About $4,99/lb. We already had the garlic, ginger, olive & sesame oil, and butter. I find the dungenous crab the sweetest and most meaty. And it's readily available in the San Francisco bay area. It turned out delicious. Definitely finger licking good. It's messy, but worth the work. I figure it tastes better when there's work involved.

Ingredients:

1 Dungenous crab

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic (diced)

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (sliced thinly)

In a large pot, fill with water just enough to cover the crab. Boil water and drop crab inside boiling water. Cook for about 20- 30 minutes. Drain crab when done cooking.

When the crab is cooled enough to handle, remove the claws, and legs. Crack the claws and legs with the back end of a knife or seafood cracker. Separate the main body from the top shell. Remove the lungs and discard. Cut the main body into two halves.

In a small bowl, save and remove the crab fat (the yellow liquid & solids) from the top shell and from the main body. The crab fat has the most flavor. Use the liquid and solid later at the end of the cooking period.

Use a wok, preheated on med-medium high heat. Add cooking oils in the wok to heat for about one minute. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes. Add butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients so not to burn. Add the cooked crab pieces. Mix together and cook for about 3- 5 minutes. Add the crab fat liquid and solid.

Serve on a large plate. Side dishes include steamed rice or french bread and steamed green veggie like asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or bok choy.

San Francisco, CA - The chess world had everyone looking for Bobby Fisher; and the food world had us looking for Melissa Perello after her stint in a restaurant located in a hotel pressing the "5" button in the elevator.

She appears here! I don't know how my wife found her, but she did and I'm glad she did. We had my birthday dinner here. Chef Melissa hasn't lost her touch. Everything we had was tasty - chicken liver mousse (fluffy and smooth), steamed clams (mild garlic soup was yummy), slow roasted beef (it was really lean and tender); and the gnocchi (tender duck confit). The Valrhona ganache tart with olive oil ice cream was rich and the hidden candied citrus was a fresh surprise.

For the wine: 06 Pinot Domaine Emile Juillott It was light, taste of berries and had a nice nose.

The Blue bottle coffee served via Comex should be ordered a dish before one plans on eatting dessert. The coffee turned up after we had our dessert.

The seating is tight, acoustics loud; and you'll need some patience finding parking. We had the early seating, but by the time we finished our dinner, the line was out the door. Reservations highly recommended.

A definite go back place. It's very homey, service timely and food delicious. It's great to see Chef Melissa.