Le Cheval's Back

For those of you that haven't heard, the beloved Vietnamese restaurant, Le Cheval in Oakland, has moved back to it's old location.

In November 2010, I reported the Le Cheval was shuttering it's doors because of a tenant-landlord dispute. They relocated to the other corner of the block where they had originally planned to open a wine bar called LCX. The timing worked out, in that the wine bar concept was overhauled and they brought in most of the old Le Cheval menu though in a significantly smaller space.

Fast forward 16 months, Le Cheval secured a new lease at their old 1007 Clay Street location, where they had resided for two decades before getting evicted in 2010. New building owners, a slightly altered restaurant ownership structure, but the same great menu in the same great venue. The layout is largely the same, big round tables on the right side, and several diagonally situated square tables in the other two-thirds of the restaurant. They fixed it up a bit, but still feels like Le Cheval.

Claypot Rice Lunch Special at the new old Le Cheval.

As for the LCX restaurant space, they scrapped the wine bar concept and made it a noodle house with a simple menu consisting of classic Pho and other noodle soups.

Read more about Le Cheval's new lease on life in the East Bay Express.

Sumie Nouvelle - Japanese Fine Dining in Taipei

Our third day in Taipei, we were a little tired of Chinese banquet dinners (we had two 10-course meals with family the two previous nights. So after a day of checking out the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and shopping in Ximen Ding, we decided to have dinner at the nice Japanese restaurant inside our hotel, San Want Hotel, called Sumie Nouvelle Cuisine Japonaise.

We went for the chef's tasting menu, a seven course dinner.

First course was this beautfully plated guava, crab, soy gelee, cucumber, and tomato salad with miso dressing.

 Second up was Sashimi on the Rocks—snapper, hamachi, salmon, grilled white fish, and blanched shrimp. It was served with a white-fish ceviche.

The sashimi was very fresh and tasty, and the ceviche knocked it out of the park. The only thing that really didn't work for me was the shrimp. Anytime I've had shrimp with sashimi it's been fully cooked. This one was was reddish, but still translucent, and the texture in the mouth reflected that. But I manned up and swallowed it.

Third course was a play on tempura. Puffed rice crusted prawn, fried kabocha squash, fried fish.

Fourth course was a filet that was still cooking on a bed of hot rocks. Mine was delicious, but ended up a bit more done then I would've preferred. But that's the price I pay for taking too long to snap photos of all the food.

Steak is really expensive in Taiwan, because there isn't much that is locally raised on the island. So it must be imported from Japan, Australia, or the U.S.

Fifth course was a small collection of sushi (not pictured) and an amuse-bouche of hamachi.

Sixth course was a ginger lobster soup. The soup was extra gingery but delicious because it stayed piping hot the entire time. The soup was served in a bowl but lined with a water-resistant paper; inside the bowl, underneath the paper was a hot tile of granite to keep the soup hot.

Finally, for dessert we had mochi and cantaloupe. But this was no ordinary mochi, for inside this beautifully shaped mochi pillow topped with cocoa powder was a tiramisu filling. A wonderful little surprise to end the night.

In fact we were so inspired by the tiramisu mochi, that when we came back to the states, we had a holiday party where we took part in a dessert competition. We took the idea, and made a pumpkin pie mochi, which wasn't as beautiful (my first time making mochi), but a winning dessert none-the-less.

Bijan Wine Bar

Walking around the streets of downtown San Jose with a coworker after a conference, we encountered a waitress posted out by a restaurant patio with 4 glasses of wine, and asked if we wanted a sample. This wasn't some sample of deep fried orange chicken from a food court, these were generously poured glasses of a Port and Sauvignon Blanc.

Naturally we were sold, so we went in and sat down for a drink. The waitress looked really excited, likely because we were the only customers there. We learned that the Bijan Wine Bar had only been open for three days, and was owned by their more famous Bijan Bakery and Cafe located across the walkway.

We navigated three tabloid-sized menus of food, dessert, and drink, but the waitress persuaded us to trying the wine flights. I guess that's their thing. My coworker had a Sauvignon Blanc flight while I had the Pinot Noir flight.

Each set of three wines was presented on a piece of paper, with circles where each glass was supposd to be placed with the name and vintage of the wine as well as a detailed description and tasting notes.

The food—while not intended to be a meal, but rather to complement the wine—left us a little wanting due to ultra small portions. The saving grace though was the Opera Cake, layers of cake and almond, amaretto and chocolatey goodness.

Definitely a place to check out some evening, after dinner, but it still has some kinks to work out.

CHIFA by Iron Chef Garces

Parihuela

I was so enamored with Iron Chef Jose Garces at Garces Trading Company, that I took some of my coworkers to another of Chef Garces' restaurants, CHIFA—a hybrid of Peruvian and Cantonese cuisine. A little history on the Peru-China connection, according to the CHIFA website,  when Chinese workers "came to Peru in the late 19th century, they brought their cuisine with them. Over the years, they adapted their foods to work with Peruvian ingredients and incorporated native South American cooking techniques."

The food is served tapas style primarily—small plates. And our group of 6 ordered a lot of food to share and to hoard for ourselves. What did we order?

Pulpo

• BBQ ribs with a char sui glaze
• Spicy garlic ginger chicken wings
• Mussels with a broth of coconut, lemongrass, and Thai basil
• Lobster bowl with noodles, rocoto cream, bacon, parmesan, and green peas
• Red Curry with jumbo lump crab and coconut
• Chaufa with oxtail—essentially an oxtail fried rice
• Salt and pepper shrimp (which our group found to not be very good with the head and shell on)
• Thai beef salad
• Pulpo—rock octopus with a ginger gastrique
• Lomo Saltado—braised beef with potatoes and stirred vegetables
• Yuca fries with a red chile mayo and a chimichurri sauce (highly recommended))
• Parihuela—a ciopoino-esque dish pf lobster, clams, mussels, and scallops

Amazing meal along with excellent drinks. I had a Pisco Sour which is a Peruvian brandy and lime juice.

I'd easily give CHIFA a 5 stars. I don't pity CHIFA, I just pity the fools that don't have an opportunity experience it.

Garces Trading Company, Philadelphia PA

My travels brought me to Philadelphia, where it is said to be the "Best Restaurant City!" according to the Loews Hotel welcome book. After a walk around the Liberty Bell and Washington Square, I found myself a few blocks west at Garces Trading Company, founded by the newer Iron Chef America, Chef Jose Garces.

Vichyssoise Chaude

There's a bit of a disconnect between what Garces intends as "a casual sit-down meal" and the $50 pp you'd have to drop for an appetizer/soup/salad, an entree and a glass of wine.

That being said, the food was amazing and worth the $50 I dropped. The ambiance is mixed as part of the place is a deli style market, with a sit down cafe portion. This food is certainly worthy of a classier dining experience.

Pappardelle With Lamb Ragu

I started with the Vichyssoise Chaude which was served table side. A shallow bowl with potato, leek, scallop, bacon, and truffle shavings, and then the server poured the hot chowder into the bowl. It was rich, complex, and amazing (though I still contend that using truffles is culinary cheating).


I also had the Pappardelle With Lamb Ragu—long and wide pasta with slow cooked lamb with sunchoke puree, peas, and piave vechio (which is Italian for fancy parmesan). Lots of great flavors if you like lamb, but not too heavy. Each bite dances a little in your mouth with layers of flavors playing off each other.


Honorable mention that I almost got, was the Sunday night special of ox-tail and braised short rib lasagna.

Check out my blog on Chef Garces' other restaurant, CHIFA, Peruvian-Cantonese cuisine.

B Restaurant in Old Town Oakland

I've got a new favorite restaurant in Oakland -- it's B Restaurant. Tracy and I have been there a few times now, and it hits the spot every time. The ambiance is great, and its situated in Old Town Oakland (9th Street between Clay and Broadway), which is urban without being ghetto.

What we usually order:

• Truffle Fries    $6
• Perfectly fried potatoes tossed with parsley and truffle oil.
• P.E.I. Mussels - bacon, smoked gouda broth, rosemary foccacia   $14
• The idea of a smoked gouda broth sounds odd, but is super tasty without being heavy.
• Lamb Sugo - braised lamb, mostaccioli pasta, carrots, onions, tomatoes, ricotta salata   $12 small/ $19 large
• I love saucy braised meats, and this hits the spot every time. The thick chewy pasta complements the texture of the chunks of lamb.

They also have some pretty good wood-fired pizzas which we've had a couple times. The host, bartender and wait staff are all very professional, personal, and inviting. So come check it out for dinner some time soon. They're only open for dinner.

UPDATE: I just bought three $40 gift certificates on Living Social, for only $20 each, so we'll be going there several more times for sure.

Feeling Crabby

Tracy's been in a crabby mood the last few weeks, which found us almost having to wait for nearly two hours at PPQ Dungeness Island on Clement Street in San Francisco. Fortunately, we made a call to Yummy Yummy on Irving and they saved us a seat. I don't see the big fuss over waiting such so long for crab. I remember being quoted a wait time of 3 hours at Boiling Crab in San Jose last year.

Crab boils are pretty simple. You buy a live crab (like Ferdinand here), and throw him in the freezer for a bit so gets nice and comfy. Later, boil a huge pot of water and season it (there are tons of different crab boil seasoning recipes, just google it). Boil for 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Throw in some of your other accoutrements like chopped corn on the cob, potatoes, onion, or sausage. Once Ferdinand starts floating, go a couple more minutes and you're good.

For that "I just waited for 3-hours for this" restaurant feel, put some butcher paper down over your dining table, and dump the strained crab and goodies onto the table and dig in.

Closing Time at Le Cheval

One of our favorite restaurants, Le Cheval in Oakland, is closing its doors after 25 years. Apparently they were forced to move out of their location at Clay St. and Tenth St. due to an unwarranted eviction by the building's jerkstore landlord, Monica Ung, who's company is under investigation by California State Attorney General and Alameda County District Attorney.

Tracy and I were fortunate enough to be there for Le Cheval's last dinner service -- salty calamari, lemongrass chicken, and their famous beef cubes.

Tracy inquired with an employee from Le Cheval about their closure, and we were pleased to learn that they would be opening a new location at Clay and 11th Street where China Wok Restaurant used to be (underneath Arsimona Bar and Grill). The new location will be significantly smaller (about 100 person capacity compared to 285), and may offer a slightly different menu. Inside Scoop SF's Paolo Lucchesi reports that the new location may be a wine bar called LCX.

So its bitter sweet that they are leaving, but on the bright side, the new location will be opening, and their other locations in Berkeley and Walnut Creek will continue to be open for business.

Brown Sugar Gingersnap Ice Cream from Ici

After a long and uphill bike ride up to Tilden Park in Berkeley, I rewarded myself with a scenic and fast ride down the hill that made me feel like I was on my motorcycle again. I stopped by to watch a little Cal football practice at the stadium, rode through campus, and rewarded myself with a hotlink from Top Dog on Durant, and then this wonderful Brown Sugar and Gingersnap ice cream from Ici on College Avenue.

This delectable delight hit the spot, with just the right creaminess and sweetness and the gingersnap cookies provided a nice chunky surprise and burst of flavor. The cone is unique too. Its not a waffle cone, so much as a crepe-cone.

Ici Ice Cream
2948 College Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
http://www.ici-icecream.com/

The House - Anniversary Dinner (part 2)

Nothing says fancy food like foie gras. For the main course of our anniversary dinner at The House in SF, Tracy had the grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy, while I enjoyed one of their specials of the day, rigatoni with braised short ribs and foie gras with fava beans. In case you don't know, I'm a sucker for short ribs; so its no surprise that I ordered this. I had never really had foie gras before, but I have to say, it was very rich, and very tasty. The presentation wasn't particularly impressive and the short ribs were just modest meat chunks, also with a rich flavor. The combination of rich flavors worked really well when tempered with the pasta and the braising sauce.

Hopefully Tracy will follow up with a review of her sea bass soon.

Overall, I'd give The House a 4 our of 5 stars. I thought the service was mediocre, and the ambiance can vary by your table location in the tiny restaurant. The food is excellent, the portions a bit small, and the price a bit high (but not shockingly over priced, nor unsatisfyingly small) which brings down its value a bit for me. If you're looking for a great date spot or a romantic celebratory dinner, I think The House will do just fine.

Thanks also to my friend Nate for recommending this place nearly 5 years ago.

The House - Anniversary Dinner (part 1)

Earlier this month, Tracy and I celebrated our third anniversary. To make things both special and nostalgic, we had dinner at The House in San Francisco's North Beach, where we also went on our first date. I recall having the sesame soy glazed salmon and Tracy had the seared Ahi tuna. Both staples are still on the menu today.

This time around, we started off with the seared scallops with a yuzu vinaigrette, topped with some fancy micro-greens. Does that sound familiar? It should; in my first blog post I wrote about my version of yuzu seared scallops. They were cooked perfectly, the sauce was good, and the greens were nice too. It did however baffle me that the order came with three. I'd imagine most people at nice restaurants come in pairs, or in small groups. Three pieces? That means we had to share one, which could be a deal breaker if this were a first date.

We both slowly ate our first scallop, slicing it into quarters for each bite to make it last. I know you all do this, when you have good food in a very limited quantity. If there were 6 scallops on the plate I probably would've just popped the whole delicious bad boy in my mouth. After finishing the first, we both patiently waited to see who wanted that second one more. Tracy offered it to me, and she ate the radishes in the middle. I thought they were just for decor.

I'll write more about my main course tomorrow.

The House
1230 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
http://www.thehse.com

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