Patisserie Philippe Macarons - San Francisco From Gourmet Pigs

Last April, after a trip back from San Francisco, Gourmet Pigs brought me a present! A box of half a dozen macarons from Patisserie Philippe in San Francisco.

So pretty!

Thien Long Restaurant - San Jose

First lunch at Vung Tau Restaurant - San Jose down, second lunch to go. My high school friend had requested that I take her to a new Vietnamese restaurant for her to try so she could come back with her husband after I'm gone. She says I know what to order. But I don't, really! I just go by what sounds good.

She wanted to find a broken rice place closer to her because one of her favorite places to go when she visits me is Da Nang Com Tam Tran Qui Cap - Westminster (Little Saigon), but the place I bookmarked was closed. So I decided to try Thien Long Restaurant in San Jose because they had Cha Ca Thang Long (Vietnamese Hanoi-Style Turmeric Fish with Dill) and Bun Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork) combined into one.

How awesome is that?! Since most places have Cha Ca Thang Long as a large serving for two people, you can just order an individual serving of grilled pork and turmeric fish in one bowl.

Vung Tau Restaurant - San Jose

The day after my college friend's wedding at Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant - Emeryville, I met up with my high school friend again for lunch before heading back down south. Funnily enough, the first time I ate at Vung Tau Restaurant was more than three years ago after my other college friend's wedding, again on my way back down south.

I was visiting the friends whom I had met on the plane during my last trip to Vietnam and who ended up being from my hometown. In fact, the husband's parents ended up literally being in the same boat with me. Small world, yeah? Especially if you're from my hometown and also Hainanese. :) Anyway, they took me here for lunch and I had the best ever banh khot (Vietnamese savory cupcakes with shrimp). The filling was so luscious with coconut milk and a crispy outside. No wonder since the restaurant named itself after the seaside town where banh khot were invented. Other versions of banh khot that I've had tasted like mini banh xeo (Vietnamese sizzling pancakes), but these were distinctly different.

Shortly after that, my high school friend moved to the South Bay. After a rather disappointing vacation in Hawaii, she desperately wanted good food when she got back. I offered up the only place I knew -- Vung Tau Restaurant. Despite the jet lag, she immediately drove here and it remains her favorite Vietnamese restaurant. She's tried their other locations and swears by this one. She's tried almost every item on the menu and has liked every dish. She has a vegetarian friend who conveniently forgets he doesn't eat meat when the Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Rolls) come out. :P

So even though she wanted to try a new restaurant with me, she also really, really likes Vung Tau. We compromised. First lunch at Vung Tau followed by a second lunch somewhere else. Insane! And why is it that my friends are so dependent upon me to try new places?

Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant (Wedding Banquet) - Emeryville

On Valentine's Day/Lunar New Year, I found myself up in the San Francisco East Bay for a college friend's wedding.


A dozen years ago, when I lived up here, Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant was my and my childhood friend's dim sum restaurant of choice. It was pretty decent dim sum and had the added benefit of us not having to cross over the Bay Bridge. (Can you believe the bridge toll is now $4?!) The restaurant is located at the very end of the Emeryville pier so we dined while looking at expansive views of the Bay Bridge, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant - Coalinga

I've driven past the Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant in Coalinga countless times during trips up and down the West Coast. Since we already took a detour to visit the Centennial Light, I figured we might as well take another detour for food as well.

Since lil' sis was sick, I figured a bowl of soup would do her better than an In-N-Out burger, our usual stop-off food.

Harris Ranch is a ranch, so expect the requisite cow smells when nearby. At least it didn't smell like that inside the restaurant. Various cuts of beef, in case you didn't know.

Sura Korean Cuisine - Oakland

The middle '87's oldest brother had come home from work a little early to take us out for dinner. How nice! He mentioned once that the Korean barbecue restaurants in LA don't give us as many banchan (Korean side dishes) as his favorite place, Sura Korean Cuisine in Oakland, so that's where we decided to have dinner.

I think this has to be the most colorful array of panchan I've ever had.

Imperial Tea Court (Ferry Building) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)

While lil' sis and the middle '87 were enjoying cocktails and oyster shooters at Butterfly Restaurant, back at the Ferry Building, I met up with Chuck of Sunday Nite Dinner and FoodGawker. He had to finish up some work and then rushed over in a taxi so I wouldn't have to wait long. How nice! And really, it was great to finally meet up and find out that he was just as nice in person as I thought.

I opted for Imperial Tea Court since a tea house seemed like a relaxing place to sit and chat.

Butterfly Restaurant (Pier 33) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)

After eating clam chowder in a bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf, lil' sis and the middle '87 walked back to the Ferry Building. Along the way, they stopped off at Butterfly Restaurant at Pier 33 for the happy hour specials.




Cherry blossom cocktail, $5, Effen black cherry vodka, lemon, bradied cherries.

Miette Patisserie (Ferry Building) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)

After lunch at Jovino - San Francisco with my college friends, one of them dropped me off at the Ferry Building so I could rendezvous with lil' sis and the middle '87.




I was drawn by the display of pastries at Miette Patisserie and the giant glass jars of macarons.

Jovino - San Francisco (Marina / Cow Hollow) (Closed)

The next day, I met up with two of my college friends at Jovino - San Francisco for lunch since one of them worked in the area.

To be honest, I don't really remember anything about the food. We ordered a few sandwiches and a burger, and shared everything as usual. In fact, during our senior year on a cruise from Miami, Florida to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, we would coordinate who ordered what for dinner each night so that we could try everything. Because if they were truly my friends, wouldn't they order what I liked? :)

Banana Leaf Restaurant - Milpitas

After third lunch at House of Nanking - San Francisco, the plan was to drop lil' sis and the middle '87 off at my cousin's place since lil' sis wasn't feeling well, and then go meet up with my high school friend. But we got caught in traffic and I took the wrong freeway, thereby missing the exit to my cousin's condo. Instead of making me turn around, lil' sis nicely offered to sleep in the car while I met up with my friend. Awww. So sweet of her. And my cousin decided to meet up with a friend who lived nearby.




The only place I knew of in the South Bay and had recommended to my friend long ago was Vung Tau Restaurant - San Jose. She loves it and has pretty much eaten everything on the menu so she wanted to try a new place. Ila of I Nom Things recommended Banana Leaf Restaurant in Milpitas.

House of Nanking - San Francisco (Financial District)

After a bit of shopping and walking around, we weren't particularly hungry, but wanted to take advantage of being in the city. I was feeling a bit nostalgic and wanted some Americanized Chinese food from House of Nanking.

Way back when I lived in the Bay, and before everything was readily available online, I bought a Zagat guide that was on clearance to discover new places to eat. House of Nanking was one of them. During peak dinner time, double lines would extend down the sidewalk. Mostly tourists and white people, who'd whisper about the anticipated rude service, almost as if to survive such an ordeal meant that the restaurant must be "authentically" Chinese indeed, a place that only locals or Asians knew about. My friends and I would get odd looks from the staff, as if they wondered what we were doing waiting in line too.

Honestly, I couldn't really remember loving anything in particular, and was more curious than anything else to see what had become of my old haunt.

Eastern Bakery - San Francisco (Chinatown)

Parking in Chinatown was just another excuse for me to visit The Wok Shop - San Francisco (Chinatown) and check out their housewares.

Afterward, I went next door to Eastern Bakery. I wasn't really hungry at all, but was planning to meet up with my high school friend later that day for dinner and figured I'd bring her some barbecued pork buns.

Fentons Creamery & Restaurant - Oakland

After breakfast at Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe - Oakland, lil' sis, the middle '87, and I, decided to grab dessert before heading into the city for the day.

Where else, especially after I just saw "Up," but Fentons Creamery & Restaurant?

Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe - Oakland

To start our day of hanging around the city, the middle '87 took lil' sis and me to her brother's favorite Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) restaurant -- Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe in Oakland. I first read of this restaurant on cousin Q's blog, but it was a place that his older brother didn't find until after we had all moved away.

Chai Thai Noodles - Oakland

I guess it was just as well that lil' sis ate all the beef kebabs on the drive up to the Bay Area because cousin Q's older brother took us out for dinner.

Yippee!

He suggested Chai Thai Noodles in Oakland, which ended up being a great choice because I got to try two new things that I've never had before.

After being seated, we were immediately given Banh Phong Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp Chips) to munch on while we figured out what to order.

Behind the Scenes: Jamba Juice Headquarters - Emeryville

Finally!

The reason I was flown up to the Bay Area by Jamba Juice was because they were introducing several food items that they wanted to promote via bloggers. So they didn't fly just me in. There were about a dozen of us, although most of them were local. They sent a car to pick me up from cousin Q's older brother's condo along with another blogger who lived nearby.




The California flatbreads that they were rolling out. Holding the sign was none other than Rand, the fabulous brother of Kalyn's Kitchen whom she mentions quite often and who designs the mastheads on her blog. So it was fun to finally place a face to the name.

After everyone arrived, we were introduced to some Jamba Juice executives, given the story of how it all began (in 1990 as a juice bar in San Luis Obispo, Calif. and has now grown to 700+ locations in 30 states and the Bahamas), and watched a promotional clip of a guy in banana costume. The current campaign featured "cubicle picnics" of Jamba Juice's new menu items with posts of breezy beach scenes you could pin to your office wall for your faux picnic. That was all nice, but you, and I, really just want to see the test kitchen, don't we?

Ti Couz - San Francisco (Mission)

After dinner at Burma Superstar Restaurant, I suggested Ti Couz in the Mission for dessert.


I was recommended this restaurant waaaay back when I still lived up in the Bay Area and it was my go-to spot for dessert when I had guests.

For one specific reason -- flambed crepes.

Burma Superstar Restaurant - San Francisco (Inner Richmond)

After my little shopping trip at The Wok Shop, my friend M with the lovely French name, picked me and the middle '87 up from the gateway to Chinatown. How time flies. I hadn't seen her in more than two years, since our dim sum at Restaurant Peony - Oakland. Funny how I measure time now by when and with whom I had eaten. She was moving out of California the next month so it was lucky I was caught her when I did.


I've tried Burmese food at a few restaurants in SoCal, but either hadn't ordered enough dishes or revisited to blog about them yet. I had heard good things about Burma Superstar Restaurant though, so I immediately said yes when my friend suggested it. Apparently, they do not take reservations and get quite busy with an hour's wait at times. My friend called to check and they said if we came right away, there wasn't a wait. So off we went.

The Wok Shop - San Francisco (Chinatown)

After lunch at La Boulange Cafe & Bakery, my friend dropped me off at Union Square, where I met up with the middle '87. After a bit of shopping, we wandered up to Chinatown because I wanted a few items from The Wok Shop.


Actually, it's something I had been thinking about since my last trip to The Wok Shop. So yes, for three years, I wished I had bought this item. I found it while killing time before my friend's wedding reception three years ago. I know. I'm crazy. I wonder if you can guess which item?

The inside. Woks and every kind of kitchenware imaginable. Maybe I like The Wok Shop because it looks like my house? :P