Hell’s Kitchen Café

During my trip into New York City, I stopped in to the Hell’s Kitchen Café hoping for a heavenly lunch. I enjoyed the modern, almost industrial look of the restaurant that was offset by single flowers resting in tall shot glasses on each table. One whole wall had the seasonal option to open up for fresh city air, similar to a three-car garage. It had a smoothie bar, in addition to a full bar, which always sweetens the deal in my book. The lunch menu was pretty approachable with some distinctive sandwiches that seemed to have a little extra class. I went with the Turkey, Brie and apple sandwich because of a fond memory I had of a small country cafe in Oregon that served it. I treated myself and chose the side of fries over the salad. I couldn’t resist having some “Liquid Passion”, a champagne cocktail with a bright, bitter kick of passion fruit.

The food came out and looked great, but after my first few bites I was disappointed, the food was decent, but by no means great. That cute little country store had made up a more flavorful version of the same sandwich, but on sourdough with crisp contrasting apples. What I got here was a sandwich loaded with turkey, two or so globs of brie and long thin strands of apple that sadly tasted like more turkey. It was cozy for a rainy day, but really could have been improved with better harmony of the ingredients. I could have skipped the fries which seemed to come from the bottom of the fryer. They were more like fry crumbs that were a little too far on the soft side. A salad would have been a better call. The cocktail was decent, I’d say I’m a passionate woman, but it would have taken four more “Liquid Passions” to bring it out at 1pm.

The wait staff was friendly and hip. They added to the atmosphere, which over all I did enjoy. It was trendy, while still being comfortable, which is hard to find. It wasn’t terrible; it just didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for me. I probably went in with too high of expectations to this little sister of Hell’s Kitchen. I wanted it to wow me, something I hope for in Hell. One thing I do hear is that they have unlimited Mimosas during brunch. I think that would have changed the tone of this whole review.

La Honda Wine & Treats

How lucky am I to have a wonderful mother that invites me to her work event: a "make your own appetizers" + wine tasting event, sponsored by La Honda Winery, CuisineStyle & Morrissey/Compton: and the staff was a MAJOR bonus. Getting to chat up Ken (the founder) & Cynthia Wornick was such a highlight.

And the wines... Oh the wines... My faves were the Chardonnay & Pinot (the Pinot paired w/wasabi peas was a delightful and bizarre discovery, but I tested it on a couple of party-goers and the confirmed the perfect pairing). I ended up buying a couple bottles of each (and a bag of wasabi peas on the way home)….

They split the guests between 4 tables, where they were instructed by the La Honda Winery chefs, including head chef, Pamela Keith, in creating amazing appetizers for all to share. And the winning appetizer? Mozzarella/grape tomatoes:

- Mozzarella Bocconcini
- Fresh Grape Tomatoes
- Pesto Sauce
- Melba Toast

It’s so simple and, yet, so deliciously good! I watched one person take seven off the tray – I would have done the same if I could’ve gotten away with it. I’ll give you the deets on the rest of the apps (description and recipes) in a day or so, with pics.

Blowfish Sushi Blows My Mind

I went to Blowfish Sushi, in Santana Row (San Jose, CA) with one of my dearest friends tonight. We started off with the Pyramid of Tartar: layers of very fresh tuna, salmon, avocado with honey glaze, sweet ginger sauce and house made potato chips. It was such a fantastic dish.

We also ordered a few maki rolls: the $o$uMi, the Dragon, & a blazing variation of the Spicy Tuna roll (can't remember the name) that could literally blow a small town to pieces. The rolls, overall, were pretty good, but not very memorable...

That said, what did absolutely blow my mind was dessert - the Treasure Twenty: banana flambé crepe and lychee ice cream, served with fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries). While I was bummed that there wasn't a fire show with the flambé, the dish was soo light and well balanced that we ended up consuming the entire thing.

And though I feel as if I may give birth to a Japanese food-baby at any moment, the cause was TOTALLY worth it!

The Counter: Meat & Accessories

My roommate and I were on a mission for meat, we opted out of the club scene and headed to The Counter for lunch. If you’ve never been there it’s a build your own burger joint with class. She and I went all out splitting a basket of half sweet potato and half regular fries. Delish. For the burger I didn’t mess around: (the oh so longed for) beef, brie, sautéed mushrooms, fried onion strings with garlic sauce. An afternoon delight that will leave you winded and sadly, with no chances of sex. The possibilities were endless and tasty. It was your typical burger place offering fries and shakes, but with a bar inside seemed like it could turn into a hoppin’ place later. I enjoyed the feast; I just recommend channeling your inner savage before so you don’t look like a fool by having to request a fork.

The Perfect Yuppie Tea Retreat

Samovar: Practice Peace. Drink Tea. Easier said than done. The airy little restaurant intrigued me with its head-to-toe sanctuary appeal, all for tea. Though how relaxed can you feel when everyone is wearing their suites awkwardly working to eat over the thin wooden tables? Or worse the 2 foot high table that seemed to be made out of a Chinese gong. Original none the less. Seeing the place packed with business men took the authenticity out of the place for me, with such a passion for peace I expected 90% more hippies to be present.
I was a little overwhelmed by the bilingual menu with dishes like Ginger Quinoa Waffle or the Jook( I’m still baffled as to what these are). Since I knew I needed to try their tea I went with a pairing: the Russian Chay Platter & Bottomless Samovar House-Blend Black Tea. I was then taken to the majestic Samovar (aka where you get the refills.) Delicious black tea, I must have had 4 cups at least. Potently caffeinated (I went strong ‘til 1 am!).
My meal was basically an elaborate fruit platter. I did enjoy the variety and everything on the plate was a great quality. Smoked white fish took the cake, except for the brownie which had a lovely hit of cinnamon. The only thing I didn’t finish were the wheat crackers. Yes, that’s right, this dry diet food appeared on my lunch plate. No thank you. It was a nice place to land in San Francisco and I would recommend it, especially if you thirst for tea.

Old Spaghetti Factory

Last night, a friend took me to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Jose, CA. Within the first moments of our dining experience, I saw a number of red flags. The first: the ambiance was a combination of “Irish Pub” meets “The Olive Garden”. The second: a random guy approached our table with a laminated sign for a request for donations (scary) – we watched a band of Old Spaghetti Factory employees escort him out, which made me imagine what one might experience at a Popeye’s Chicken franchise. The third: I’m fairly convinced that our waiter was tapping dubies during his 10 minute breaks. And the fourth: their menu seemed dry and uninventive. Red flags aside, I was satisfied with the results of the dishes we ordered.

While I wouldn’t remotely consider adding the Old Spaghetti Factory to my “top 20 list” of premier dining venues, the food they served was above average and our ever-so-stony server was honest in his recommendations. We ordered sliders (with caramelized onions – quality that exceeded the higher-end establishments I’ve dined at), the crab ravioli, and a fettuccini alfredo. The sliders were actually far more favorable than thoses that I’ve tried at more popular South Bay establishments, like Joya (Palo Alto) or Sino (San Jose). And while the pasta was just slightly undercooked, the flavors were unexpectedly agreeable.

Food aside, I could have done without the “happy birthday” sing-a-long the servers performed at near-by table and I prefer my servers to maintain a certain level of sobriety – and if he was lucid, my semi-apologies…

For the food-snob I am, I probably won’t be making a second appearance there anytime soon, but the Old Spaghetti Factory just proves that new experiences can be worthwhile.