Category: Travel

 

Flickr photo by alicechan26

Last week I was fortunate enough to visit a city I love, the Big Apple (which of course makes me sound like a total tourist).  I love the Bay Area, but there are still some foods you just can’t find outside of NYC.

First stop the day I arrived was John’s Pizzeria (44th St. btwn. 7th/8th Ave.).   I didn’t make it down to the one on Bleeker St. in Greenwich Village, but I did go to the one near Times Square (it was closer to my hotel).  The one thing I long for more than a good deli sandwich, is a great New York style pizza.  John’s isn’t the best in the world, but in my humble opinion, it is one of the best.  I love the perfectly thin crust that’s been slightly blistered on the bottom from the coal fired oven, yet still spongy in the middle.  The housemade tomato sauce is just zesty enough with a slight sweetness from the tomatoes.  And the creamy mozzerella and fresh basil make the whole pie complete.  It’s so simple yet almost impossible to find anywhere in the Bay Area!  And the Times Square location is housed in an old church that’s about 3000 square feet big.  It is the most beautiful pizzeria you’ll ever visit, especially with it’s beautiful mural, gold staircase, and stained glass dome ceiling.  It is the largest pizzeria in the world.  Pretty setting, great pizza, fabulous experience.

 Flickr photo by alicechan26

Japanese food isn’t usually something I seek out while in New York City because the stuff you can get in the Bay Area is very good.   But I was trying to find some decent food around my seminar location in the middle of Times Square.  I was worried because all around you are chain restaurants and I wasn’t in the mood for Olive Garden (YUCK!).  I was lucky to find Teriyaki Boy (Broadway @ 48th St.) and Sapporo (on the opposite side of Broadway @ 48th St.).  I stopped into Teriyaki Boy not expecting very much, but their Katsu Curry Rice dish was superb.  The sauce was in the classic Japanese style; thick and just slightly sweet.  The chicken was moist, tender, and perfectly cooked.  I actually craved it again for dinner that night!  A good reliable lunch choice if you’re ever out in Times Square.

And next up was Sapporo on my second day of my seminar.  There were tons of people there when I visited for lunch, but the wait went very, very quickly.  People were slurping their noodles and quickly enjoying their rice plates before rushing back to work.  I had a bowl of the Miso Ramen, which are Japanese noodles in a meaty broth with pork.  This was probably one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve ever had (the only one better would be at Santa in San Mateo).  The noodles were the perfect texture, not soggy but not too firm, and the broth was full of flavor from the tender pork.  I loved it and would totally go back the next time I’m in town.

 Flickr photo by three60

Junior’s is a total touristy restaurant, I know (45th btwn. 7th/8th Ave), but I think it’s deli sandwiches are highly underrated.  I always get a pastrami or corned beef reuben and have never been disappointed.  And I love their vinegary cole slaw and beets.

I wish I could say the same about Carnegie Deli on Broadway.  With the reputation this place has, the corned beef on rye I ordered was shamefully bad.  The corned beef was dry and flavorless and even the pickles tasted strange, like they were stored incorrectly.  YUCK!  Avoid this place like the plague, especially since Stage Deli is just down the street and better.

Those are just some of the yummy things (and not so yummy things) I got a chance to experience.  Didn’t get the opportunity to have the perfect bagel or falafel this go around.  But there’s never enough time to enjoy all the culinary classics New York has to offer, is there?

Just returned from a trip up north to western Canada, and I have to tell you, I’ll never look at sushi and seafood in general, the same way again.

It’s gotta be the water.  The water even TASTES better from the tap!  Anyway, I visited a Japanese place called Sushi Hachi in a suburb about 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver called Richmond.  We had a variety of sashimi items like Sake (fresh salmon), Maguro (tuna), Hamachi (yellowtail), Saba w/Miso glaze (cooked fish), and a selection of raw oysters.  It was the freshest, purest, highest quality fish I’ve ever tasted in my life.  And I’ve had sushi from all over the world!  The Sake sashimi was so fresh and most definitely wild caught because of it’s distinctive pure blood orange color.  Not like the light orange color that’s added to our usual farmed salmon.  At first I thought the quality of fish was exclusive to the establishment, but I later ealized that this was not the case…

The next day I visited a Chinese seafood restaurant called Sun Sui Wah with locations in both the Vancouver and Richmond areas.  Everything we ordered was absolute perfection.  From the Mirugai (giant clam), which can be a difficult and expensive item to find these days, to the sauteed shrimp and crab dishes, every seafood item was as fresh as can be and less expensive than you would find in the States (because of the exchange rate).  No other sushi and seafood will ever taste the same to me from now on.  Ever.  That’s how excellent the quality of seafood was in this town.

I never thought I’d recommend Vancouver for a food lover’s weekend trek, but I am.  And if you’re a seafood or sushi lover, you simply can’t miss it.

Photo from www.DuartesTavern.com 

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ll know the weather lately is gray, wet, and dreary.  And with President’s Day and Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to pass along a dreary day-winter roadtrip idea that won’t take too much planning or too much time.  Perfect for a quick getaway.

Head to the California Coast.  More specifically, Half Moon Bay and Pescadero.  Just get on Highway 92 West all the way to the end till you hit Highway 1, and turn left heading South.  Easy enough.

Along the way you’ll find some great places to find good food and just enjoy the drive.  Head down to Duarte’s Tavern for lunch. You have to order two things:  Artichoke Soup and Ollalieberry Pie.  The Artichoke Soup is creamy yet flavorful and not too heavy.  But the sourdough bread that they serve with your meal is the perfect partner for it.  It’s crusty on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.  Just the best.  And the Ollalieberry Pie is what they’re famous for.  It has the texture of a raspberry with the color of a blueberry pie.  People have said that if you don’t get the Ollalieberry Pie at Duarte’s, it’s a sin.  Period.

Then while in Pescadero, stop by Phipps Country Store and Farm.  They have a fabulous selection of herbs, fruits, veggies, jams and jellies, and nuts.  It’s a great place to visit.  Don’t miss their Peach and Ollalieberry jams!

While on your drive down Highway 1, make stops along the road to take in the beautiful view of the coast and hear the sound of waves crashing.  It’s beautiful whether the skies are blue or gray.  The area is known for it’s foggy environment anyway.

Stay at either Costanoa (www.costanoa.com) in Pescadero or The Beach House (www.beach-house.com) in Half Moon Bay (which is back up Highway 1 North).  The Beach House is a fabulous weekend getaway.  You’ll feel like you’re far away from the Bay Area and if you get an Ocean View room, it’s truly spectacular.  You can read the paper and have coffee on your balcony overlooking the ocean.  Those rooms have a kitchenette too. 

Costanoa is a great destination for families with three types of accomodations: tents, cabins, and hotel rooms. I suggest the Cabin Rooms, which have real character and a back porch that overlooks the mountains.  And you’re only a brief walk away from the ocean.

If you have time on the way home, don’t miss one of the many fruit and veggie stands with super fresh produce from the large number of farms in the area.

Now doesn’t that sound like a nice weekend?