EUROPE!!!!

I have been neglectful in my Bite-Sized duties, and I sincerely apologize! It has been quite a summer, a busy one at that, but filled with lots of fabulous occasions with family and friends. And, within that agenda was a trip to Europe with my oddly similarly looking sister, Fiona! (HAHA) I fulfilled my foodie mission over there and ate lots of yummy local cuisine with good company, so here is a blurb and just a few pictures about my delicious endeavors.

Ah, London. What to say about London? I have lived there and been here several times and am lucky to have family in good ol' Blighty. It was a nice start to our holiday, seeing family, and not necessarily doing the whole tourist route. Food-wise,...I LOVE British food! I don't know what it is. I know it's not exactly on American Heart Association's list of top 10 healthy cuisines, but I find it comforting and so damn yummy! Of course, I HAD to have a Sunday roast. Since I don't have my parents nearby to cook a traditional roast like we used to when I was growing up, I've been practically drooling for one for the past 6 years. Luckily, we happened to be in London on a Sunday and Fiona and I were on a mission. Roast beef, pork, or lamb were the choices but I was in a beefy mood so I got that. But the sides were where my stomach was truly satisfied: roast potatoes, peas, carrots, and YORKIE PUD!!! Okay, that last one is Yorkshire Pudding, also known to some as popovers. I ate the whole thing (see picture!). And then some.

We ate well while in London and a visit there is not complete without going to Harrods. One might not necessarily associate a luxury retailer with food, but Harrods is absolutely a food mecca. 110% freshness and 110% quality foods. Their Foods Hall is big enough for a day trip and all 5 of your senses will be truly satisfied. They have caviar, seafood, foie gras, breads, chocolates, coffees, teas, fruits, cheeses, and more from around the world including various quick-stop restaurants, including a little sushi bar, oyster bar, pizza bar, dim sum, etc. We ate dim sum and it was smashing!!!

Our next stop was Paris. Of course in the city of light, the food was amazing; rich, decadent, and delicious! Along with brasseries and other cafes, there were of course the ubiquitous patisseries. As a result, I needed to eat a croissant everyday and no matter what, I will always think that croissants this side of the eastern hemisphere are better. It's probably the butter, which I'm convinced is much creamier in Europe. We had other wonderful fruit pastries every morning, too! And obviously, you need to stop at a creperie when in France! It was hard to choose a favorite, but I think the Nutella beat out the cheese crepes, but only by a taste-bud!

Another excellent meal was when we got fondue. Thankfully, fondue has come back in the States and resurrected itself (if you ask me, I don't know how anyone let it go... it's a carb dipped into melted cheese and some sort of wine. HELLO?!). In France though, I don't think it ever left. We ate until we couldn't take it anymore and then stared at other diners' fondue. Turns out, there's also a 'la raclette fondue' and it's awesome! Just picture a humongous hunk of cheese with a heat lamp on top of it. As the cheese slowly melts, you scrape off the top layer, eat it with whatever vegetables, starches, and meats you might have, and continue the process. So simple, yet so amazing.

As far as dessert is concerned, you need to go to the following place: Laduree (see picture!). Laduree is MUST. Truthfully, dessert was never my favorite part of a meal (don't get me wrong... I still love dessert!) but you need to go to Laduree whether you have a sweet tooth or not. They specialize in macaroons and they were the best I've ever tasted. It is a restaurant but they also have a large counter where you can buy many of the desserts. The macaroons are sweet, slightly crunchy, but mostly moist and soft with many flavors (pistachio, rose water, dark chocolate, raspberry, to name a few). I was amazed by how good they were, mostly because all of my macaroon experiences prior were terrible-- all horribly dry. Most of their desserts include a macaroon in it, but even if they don't, the confection is still genius. Fiona and I saved room to eat dessert here, after dinner one night, and it certainly lived up to our expectations! I will warn you though- like everything else in Paris, it was expensive, but well worth it.

One of my memorable meals was a simple picnic. Fiona and I walked through a fantastic outdoor food market. It was so adorable and I would love to have one around the corner from me in NY! It had several cheese, veggie, and bread (see picture!) vendors, a few meat vendors, and various other suppliers of delectables. We ended up buying a baguette, each, a wedge of native semi-soft cheese, figs, and pink lentil soup. BEST MEAL! We took our meal over to the magnificent Luxembourg Gardens. It was probably my favorite part of France. Food, people watching, and hanging out with Fee in a beautiful piece of art called Luxembourg... what could beat that? The bread, cheese, and fig made the most delicious sandwich and the perfect dipper to the soup. Even though the soup eventually became cooler, it was still silky and luxurious. I never had pink lentils before, but they are lovely-- slightly less 'beany' than the standard lentil soup I usually have.

Finally, we went to Barcelona and it was absolutely breathtaking. I've been to the south of Spain before but have always wanted to go to this populous seaport. It was such a great finale to our European adventure; relaxing but exciting. My heart swells with love for this city as I think about it. The people are so friendly and have such a zest for life. They truly enjoy their day... and meals, at that. Spaniards just know how to sit back and relish what is going on at that moment and it is something I secretly want, living in the very fast-paced NY. Not to mention, beautiful weather and vibrant food with brilliant flavors! On our first day after visiting La Sagrada Familia, the city's icon, we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a sandwich. Well, let me tell you, I can eat their sandwiches for the rest of my life and be fairly satisfied. Fiona got a sandwich with Jamon Serrano or Iberico... like no other ham you've ever tasted before. It has a hint of sweetness and LITERALLY melts in your mouth. And, they serve it on good crusty bread with their tomato spread seen all over Barcelona--- it's just tomatoes mashed up and spread on bread. The concept is so simple and so flavorful. I had a Manchego cheese sandwich. Manchego is a Spanish cheese that is slightly salty, nutty, sweet, and semi-soft. We traded half our sandwiches and then I combined the cheese and meat.... to die for!

Of course, we had to have tapas... we were in Spain, after all! Fiona was spectacular and found a very local restaurant in Barri Gotic ('Gothic Quarter') called Bar Celta Pulperia Tapa. Barri Gotic is filled with narrow alleys that serve as the streets (quite amusing because upon leaving the restaurant we had to wait a good 7 minutes for a truck who decided to try and squeeze itself in the road) and the architecture is, well, gothic. So beautiful and old... love it! Anyway, we ate fabulous tapas filled with the delicious flavors of Spain I had been anticipating so patiently. It was sort of a hole-in-the-wall place but that's usually where the good stuff is, ironically. The bar was filled with tapas that you choose from, or you can just share the menu on the wall with everyone else in the restaurant. Other days, we ate paella and lots of fish along the water, very fitting considering Barcelona is a seaport. The fish and seafood was so fresh and delicious. It makes an amazing difference and made me want to eat seafood everyday, which can be a rare impulse for me (see picture!).

A MUST in Barcelona is to go to the La Mercat de la Boqueria (see picture!). It is super-de-duperly touristy, but you just have to go. It is the biggest outdoor food market I have ever been to and just the colors alone are enough to make you go back. The food is uber fresh and the vibrant colors of the fruits, vegetables, candies are beautiful. Never have I ever seen bigger lemons or nectarines -softball size. Very intimidating. A great thing about the market, besides getting crisp fruits and veggies, fish, nuts, meats, eggs, olives, dried fruits and more, is that there are restaurants and food vendors! Instead of getting hungry and wishing for a kitchen to use all this great produce, they do it for you! I really enjoyed the fresh fruit juices, such as mango-coco (mango and coconut), and they had the best creperia outside of France (to me, at least). The crepe I had there is another thing I would like to eat everyday: brie, spinach, tomato, and tapenade. Another fantastic food in Barcelona was the famous xiocolata made famous in Madrid. Thick hot chocolate. That's all it is and we found a cafe that did it well and had it practically every morning with a croissant. Bottom Line: This place was such a wonderful experience and I want to go back!!!

Many amazing adventures, three amazing cities, and two very satisfied stomachs. Au revoir until next time!

Saigon Noodle House

Saigon Noodle House

1136 S Diamond Bar Blvd.

Diamond Bar, CA 91765

(909) 861-5020

So, a few things to lament my homecoming from California, my second home. Aside from leaving my ever-growing family, I will also be saying 'farewell for now' to California's abundant restaurants. My two favorites, although fast food chains, are In-N-Out Burger and Souplantation. Though one is greasy and the other super healthily delicious, and will probably never end up with a James Beard Award (imagine? Haha!!), I can't help but hope that one day they will find a niche in New York. Oh well, I did find something that can be found in NY, but only have tried for the first time during this trip to Cali... Vietnamese food!

I am always excited to eat a new cuisine and this time, it was Vietnamese. It's like experiencing a new country to me... well, maybe not as thrilling, but hey, if you can't go to Vietnam, try the food and maybe you'll get a feel for its culture. So, it's exactly what I did while visiting my family. My parents have eaten at this place a few times and thought Fiona and I would like it, being the happy-to-eat-any-food family that we are. I was actually surprised, not that they had suggested Vietnamese food, but that in all of my life, I had never tried it. Actually, I was shocked and even appalled at myself.. Haha.. yes, appalled. Oh well, no sense in dwelling what I hadn't done yet... let's eat the food!

Even though the menu offered many appetizing dishes, I really wanted to try the Pho (pronounced, 'fu' as in fun), which is essentially a beef and rice noodle soup. The one I chose, as there are several varieties, was Pho tai chin nam (pronounced, 'fu-tie-chin-nom'). This was slices of eye round, well done brisket, and flank steak. You are served a generous bowl of beef broth, noodles, and the raw meat is shaved very thin and put into the boiling broth where it cooks quickly before your eyes.

Honestly, I mostly wanted to order the soup for that very reason- I am easily amused and find it rather fascinating to watch the meat cook like that in your bowl. Also, my dad had described a similar dish he had when he went to China, and I always wanted to try something similar. Another reason I was excited to try Pho was because you can make the soup your own; it is served alongside a plate of bean sprouts, which I adore for the crunch, green hot peppers, limes, and fresh basil. All these flavors, depending on how much you add, really transform the soup into a unique creation every time. I found that the broth was subtly sweet, maybe from the rice noodles, flavorful, and tangy from the squeeze of lime. I also added a bit of Sriracha, a popular hot chili sauce, found in many Asian eateries. This made my soup perfect, well, for me, and I even found it to be a great comfort food. This picture is of my Pho with everything in it.

The soup had the right amount of textures and flavors, and while it tasted wonderfully harmonious, you could somehow still taste each ingredient individually. Another perk to this restaurant, aside from the super helpful and friendly staff, was that it is cheap, cheap, cheap! Only about five dollars for a gigantic bowl of Pho that I couldn't even finish! Below is a dish that my mom ordered. I don't completely remember what it was, but I believe it was some type of marinated chicken with a Vietnamese egg roll, and very delish.

Now that I have finally sampled a hint of Vietnamese cooking, I would love to try more, if not for the rustically yummy ingredients, but for the experience!

FINO wine and tapas

Fino Wine & Tapas

39-13 Bell Blvd.

Bayside, NY 11361

(718) 229-1330

So, unfortunately I've been very busy and have not had time to update foodie. I feel awful, but at the same time, I did not want to just write when I had a few spare moments just to write a mediocre blog. Not to say this is the stuff of Aristotle, but I care about what I write and want people to enjoy this blog. Anyway, enough babbling. Here is a blog that's been well past due, buon apetito! (And I also apologize about not having pictures. Me being the ever terrible photographer could not get the right lighting and being that it was so dark in there, the photographs look like edible blobs).

It's always great to research places on-line, whenever unsure of an area. This is what I did when I was choosing a place for Rich's birthday. I was bored with Italian, just ate Greek and since Rich is kind of new to food experimentation, I was not going to pick something overly exotic, especially for his day. When I read about this restaurant, I was excited to take him here. It turned out to be a very romantic setting with dark lighting, good for couples.

As for the wine, they offer an extensive list. And, if you don't know wine too well, such as myself ($8 Cabernet Sauv makes me happy!), a knowledgeable server is there to help. Well, let me bite my tongue-- for all I know he just picks a random wine and suggests it.... it just so happened, we liked the suggestion! It was a half bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, too bad I don't remember the name :(

So, as the resto name says, this is a tapas place. They also serve regular entrees, but I really wanted to at least sample some of their tapas offerings. It is relatively expensive with small servings and I wouldn't suggest going here everyday if you're on a budget, but for this occasion, I was happy with our meal, so it was money well spent for the birthday boy. We ordered the Mushroom en Croute, aka, mushrooms on toast. I loved the crunchy bread and the meatiness of the mushrooms. I am also a garlic lover (no vampires near me!) and the amount of garlic on the toast and in the mixture added enough spark to compliment the savory mushrooms. We also sampled the grilled lamb chops with chickpea puree. I was excited to get this because I don't eat lamb very much, as I have not cooked it, but I do enjoy it. When it arrived at the table, it was a bit anticlimactic, as the portion was incredibly small. However, the small cuts of chops were compensated by the great salty, char-grilled flavor with a little bit of spice that was offset by the creamy chickpea. It was very Mediterranean and I felt that I should be on a sailboat in Greece... wonderful!

As for our entree, we were also please with our choice. However, with one stipulation- when our NY Strip steak was presented at our table, we were expecting a beautiful, full cut of meat, but what was given was steak already sliced into portions. I was initially disappointed because I thought that was rip-off and I was afraid that they maybe didn't let the meat rest, letting the juices run out of the steak. But my anger was quelled by the great flavor! The accompanying dipping sauce was sweet, almost balsamic-like, and the cheese was creamy and slightly tangy, like Roquefort blue cheese; when eaten together, it was a wonderful marriage of flavors. The one exception to the flavor was the overabundance of herbs, mostly rosemary, on the steak, but it was easily forgotten after dipping it into the sauces. The steak came with roasted herbed fingerling potatoes which were also excellent. We also needed a veggie for the meal, so we ordered braised Brussels sprouts with bacon. They were good, but mine are better :) It turned out to be a surprisingly excellent meal and i absolutely savored my last bite of the dish. I'm going back for seconds. Also an exciting tidbit- they change their menu, so you can never get bored!

Les Halles

15 John St.

New York, NY 10038

(212) 285-8585

Les Halles!!!!! Finally me and the usual suspects are going going here after much waiting and hemming and hawing about not having been. The usual suspects being Fiona, Rich, Julie, Joe, and of course, myself. Fee and I really wanted to come here since one of our favorite food critics/chefs, Anthony Bourdain had his start and the famed restaurant. Yes, the cantankerous and witty Bourdain! I think I have a crush on him HAHA. Either way, it was so exciting to visit his original home in the restaurant world. Unfortunately, not everything was as wonderful as we'd hoped. Well, I give the food an A--for astonishing and the service also and A-- for appalling. If it not had been for the food, my disappointment would have been at an all time high and I would have been a cranky ice skater in our subsequent adventure to Bryant Park.

I ate the Ouef Poches a l'Ecossaise, poached eggs on an English muffin with Bearnaise sauce and a slice of smoked salmon. I've been on a smoked salmon kick, because while I adore the cooked kind, eating the smoked stuff has been a slower progression for me. Lately, I've taken to it nicely, especially with the popular paring of bagels and lox (with a tomato, thank you very much). So, to further my quest of smoked salmon one-ness, I ordered as mentioned. It was absolute heaven! The salmon melted like salty butter in my mouth, balanced by the delicate acidity of the Bearnaise and soft, smooth, runny yolks. (WITH very slight smokiness). Even Rich, who either didn't realize that it had smoked salmon on it when I ordered, or just plain forgot, loved it-- which is, let's be frank here, miraculous considering all he likes in terms of fish is the fried kind.

Fiona ate the Ouef Meurette, with bacon and a white wine shallot sauce. I, of course had to try, and my sister and I both agreed this dish was also delicious and a different twist on regular eggs Benedict. Rich ate the Crepes aux Fruits Frais. It was a great dish, however, since my sweet tooth is relatively small, I thought it was a bit too sweet for a brunch. But, to each his own! Julie and Joe had Ouef Benedicte. The following pics are of Fiona and Rich's orders.

Like I mentioned, the service was fairly bad, but if you're willing to overlook or forgo that crucial part of your own dining experience, I'd say it really is worth going to Les Halles. Food was the saving grace here. We were well fed and on our way to fall on our bums at Bryant Park!

Tea and Sympathy

108 Greenwich Ave

New York, NY 10011

(212) 989-9735

You know, I've decided that it's really kind of upsetting to hear people say, 'Oh, I thought British food is terrible,' even without trying it! So it's very gratifying when I can matter-of-factly say, Not so! And, I have many reasons to prove that person wrong. One being, Tea and Sympathy. Set in the West Village is this little itty-bitty restaurant. And I'm serious. It's small. But the wait at the door for that coveted spot where you squeeze in next to that stranger at the adjacent table is so incredibly worth it.

I've had the fortune to eat here many times, thanks to my dad, a Brit, who got to explore the city having worked downtown for so long. You will often find many natives here and the owner, Nicky, has managed to build sort of a mini British empire on the street; the area now cozily, nostalgically, and lovingly dubbed, Little Britain. There are many Brits populating the tiny locale of the city and shops filled with products from abroad. I recommend going to A Salt and Battery if you want a quick meal of fish n chips if you are on the go, which is right next door. Luckily, my dad, Fiona, and I had all the time in the world and arrived for Sunday brunch. Surprisingly, this was our first time going there for brunch, as we are usually there later in the day. Either way, I don't mind.

I had the Welsh rarebit which, like most other British food is very much composed of whatever the farmer had available. Subsisting on meat and dairy, basically. Anywho, my food was lovely- whole grain toast with melted cheddar, a tomato, and British mustard with a side of Branston pickle (a typical vegetable spread put on many foods, akin to the use of ketchup). Seems simple enough, but the combination warms you to the core on a cold day. I ate it with a side of baked beans. Yes! Baked beans is a big staple in the British household and my favorite are Heinz... as if you really wanted to know! Fiona ordered the same, but with British bacon, which has much more meat on it than the kind found in the states.

My dad, another huge fan of breakfast, had the English breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, slab bacon, beans, tomato, and a banger. It turned out to be a very satisfying brunch, if I do say so. And if you're ever in the area, I would certainly stop by at this place.

A few things on the menu I highly recommend are the Cornish Pasty; Afternoon tea for one, which have finger sandwiches, tea, and scones with jam and clotted cream (MMMMMMMmmmmm!); Shepherd's Pie; Bangers and Mash; and last but certainly not least- all of their daily special desserts which is usually some type of pudding or cake served with warm custard. I could just order custard and be happy, though, which isn't a bad idea either!

Caffe Cafe

Caffe Cafe

8401 3rd Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11226

(718) 748-8700

This place has some sentimental value to me and happily I returned here with Rich. It is a little coffee/tea/dessert shop that he had taken me to before, nestled conveniently near the Verrazzano bridge in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. While it does not offer the most spectacular or scrumptious of desserts, it is a cozy place where you can sit for hours with friends or enjoy people watching. This visit, I had the chocolate mousse. It was okay, your standard mousse, not with much flair. I do enjoy their selection of drinks, which includes various items you might find on a Starbucks menu. Either way, the ambiance, unpretentious decor, and coziness of it all makes it feel like you could lose yourself with a hot drink and good book for hours. And, a perk that I like very much about the cafe is board games! This is that fun little place where you can sit, chat, and play from an array of board games that some kids now would have no clue existed due to the lack of bright lights and noises (i.e., backgammon, chess). Hellooooo technology free and relaxing evening!

The Curry Club

The Curry Club

2 locations: Setauket and Lake Grove, NY

Being a foodie, not only do I enjoy sampling other delights that people cook for me to eat, but I also love to cook in general- from Italian, to Mexican, to Bite-size Foodie concoctions, you name it. However, while my repertoire is no where as impressive as I would like to admit, I am willing to try to cook anything, as long as my budget and roomie sister can stand it! One fare I have yet to attempt is Indian. While I'm a big consumer of the food, I have slight trepidation about trying to cook it. Maybe it's the abundance of spices? Who knows, because my dad used to cook it all the time at home and it seems simple enough. But, while I hesitantly wait for the day when I attempt it, I will happily eat at an Indian restaurant.

The Curry Club is a...... wait for itttt...... Indian restaurant! located in Long Island where my family has eaten at repeatedly due to its reliable (or so we thought) food. We hadn't been here for a while, so we figured, why not? So, we waited in mock suspense for our expectantly good food. Well, let me tell you, the mock suspense turned into actual surprise when our food arrived.

Since I've been here so many times, I will first tell you what I recommend:

Vegetable samosas: think of a fried pierogy, the size of a baseball-- pastry puffs filled with a yummy combination of potatoes, vegetables, and spices. One of my all time favorites!

Chicken tikka masala: chicken in a creamy tomato sauce with spices

Navrattan vegetable korma : cream curry garnished with nuts and raisins. Please read more below about this dish

Chicken biryani: sort of a chicken and rice variation with Cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin, etc.

During this visit, Fiona, my dad, and I ate: vegetable samosas, dal makhni (black lentils in a creamy sauce), navrattan vegetable korma, shrimp jhalfrezi, tandoori chicken--marinated in yogurt and spices cooked in a tandoor oven, roti and naan unleavened breads to mop up all the yummy sauces on the plate. We also ordered rice with our meal, which is another prominent staple in Indian food. The samosas were just as I expected; crunchy pastry on the outside with a slightly spicy filling. I could probably eat 3 of these in a sitting they are just so good! Dal makhni was initially subtle, relative to heat, then the spice hits you the next moment at the back of your throat. This visit was the first time we had tried the lentil creation but it was lovely and I would certainly order it again. Korma was the big disappointment. I usually love this dish and rave about it when I'm eating it, especially from Curry Club, but visually and taste-wise it was drastically different, unfortunately. It was white-- a big old warning sign that something went awry, when the millions of other times we've had it, the sauce was yellow. Also, it was bland and there were no raisins, as Fiona pointed out, which is the big component that offers a bit of sweetness to the savory dish. The jhalfrezi is a particularly spicy chili masala cooked with vegetables, reminding me of what my dad made on his curry nights, which were usually blow-out-your-brains-spicy. Thanks, dad :) Finally, the tandoori chicken was good, a bit dry, but tasty. I think this is a mild dish and good start for someone who has never tried Indian food. Also to note, not all Indian dishes are spicy. Spice does not always = Indian food.

Regardless of the disappointment of part of the meal, the roti and naan made me happy. I definitely recommend ordering some sort of bread whenever eating Indian food. I absolutely love them carbs, and naan is the one for me. It's great and absorbent to sop up the goodness that your fork failed to scoop up. And certainly a more polite tool than licking up the plate. Wouldn't want to insult anybody, would we?

Unfortunately, the next time I go to the restaurant, I am going to ask for their old recipes back, as the new changes were far below our expectations, not only for the food, but for the restaurant. They have been serving up hearty, delightfully tasty food for years, so to change it now seems a bit puzzling. As the old saying goes, don't change it if it works.... or maybe I just made that up, but you get the point. Maybe this visit has lit a fire under me to cook my own Indian food.. I'll let you know how it goes, when it happens!